O furto de bens sacros pertencentes ao patrimônio cultural mineiro

Abstract

The objects which ornament the Catholic Churches are part of cultural heritage, not only as evidence of religiosity but also to as part of the history of the places where they are. Once such sacred objects are considered important cultural elements, they become targets of illegal transactions. This research aims to comprehend the reason why these goods of general interest are stolen from these religious buildings. In order to accomplish this study, it was considered the robbery through 1838 to 2008 of the devotional and liturgical items which were regarded as artistic expressions from the Baroque period in Minas Gerais. It is understood that the Baroque period is connected to religious purposes in which artistic manifestation was used intending persuasion. In this sense, it is possible to affirm that these religious objects were considered important instruments of evangelization. The Mineiro Baroque passed through a process of valorization during the 30s by the work undertaken by the intellectuals from the Modernist movement, fact which contributed to highlight and give relevance to the sacred patrimony produced in this moment of the history. Because of such valorization, the objects of faith were no longer considered important just because of their religious character – they earned visibility in the national scene as artworks. In the 20th Century, the robbery of sacred items in the religious buildings is quiet known; however, it was because of the efforts of the modernist artists that the church’s objects became the target of thieves who take into account the artistic aspect of these items. Because these items were seen with this new meaning, the items of public domain have been stolen to be part of personal collections since then. However, sacred objects are not for decoration or collection; they belong to the public memory and their meanings are only complete if they remain connected to the temples.