São Miguel das Missões

San Miguel das Misoins is an ancient ruin located in Brazil in the provincial town of Rio Grande do Sul. Back in the 17th century, the Jesuits created a truly unique mission founded with the aim of converting local Indians to the Christian faith. It was created near the small Indian town of Itayaseko, and a little later it was moved to where it is now. This mission included seven missions at once, each of which preached Christianity and tried to win over those who had gone astray.

During the Jesuit mission, 4,000 Indians were converted to the Christian faith, and in 1735, a church was founded in honor of this achievement. In early 1750, Portugal decided to transfer the entire territory of the mission to Spain, and the Indians were ordered to strictly leave their place of residence. But when they categorically refused to comply with the order, they were pressured by the Spanish army, which later conquered the entire territory of San Miguel das Misoins. But the Indians continued to resist for the right to live here, until in 1756 the Spaniards seized all seven missions and gained undivided power.

In 1929, on the territory of the city of Santa Angela, local authorities built an exact replica of the mission cathedral, and in 1940, a historical museum was created in her honor, which to this day contains many wooden sculptures with images of saints. These sculptures were created by the hands of Jesuits and Indians. The statues have different sizes and the tallest of them reach 2 meters.

At their best, the missions were thriving separate cities with their own populations, but after being captured by the Spaniards, they began to lose their grandeur and splendor, not as a result of internal contradictions, but because of the battles for power between Portugal and Spain, which happened because the Catholic Church refused to extend the mandate.

Currently, the ruins of San Miguel das Misoins are considered one of the most popular Brazilian attractions. Therefore, tourists often come here, who are happy to attend excursions conducted by local residents. Despite the fact that San Miguel das Misoins is not well preserved, its ruins are thoroughly imbued with the Christian faith. Having been here, even a non-believer may doubt his beliefs and repeatedly reflect on the correctness of his chosen path.