Sacred Paths: The influence of religious festivities on the urban morphology of Ouro Preto, a brazilian colonial city: a influência das festas religiosas na Morfologia Urbana em Ouro Preto, cidade colonial brasileira

Abstract

During the Ancien Régime, the relationship between the Catholic Church and the State was intrinsic. Deeply tied to the formation of Brazilian colonial cities, the Church played multiple roles, including organizing social life and influencing the structuring of urban space. Religious festivities, in turn, reinforced this centrality by mobilizing the population around rituals and processions that traversed the city. In this context, the present research analyzes the influence of the Holy Week festivities in the municipality of Ouro Preto (MG) and their relationship with the axis that shaped the city's urban configuration until the mid-20th century. Through the method of relational analysis between urban morphology and festive practices, this study aims to demonstrate how religious celebrations influence and are influenced by the spatial configuration of the city, highlighting their importance in the formation and transformation of the urban fabric.