Architectural Gems - Dom Bosco Sanctuary

Dom Bosco is an italian saint who is also the patron of Brasilia. In 1883 he dreamed of a utopia city of the future, a capital city that would be located in the New World, between the 15th and the 20th parallels. He described it as a place that would provide for all the needs of a great nation. His vision was a major inspiration for the foundation of Brasilia. In his honor, the Sanctuary is built right on the 15th parallel, on the W3. While its exterior is very sober, its beauty reveal itself when you enter. Design by Carlos Alberto Naves (not Niemeyer!), its 80 columns of 16 meter high meet one another in gothic arches, and harmoniously integrating stained-glass work by Belgium artist Huber Van Doom. Covering entirely the four walls, they are in fact a collection of little squares of 12 different shades.  The center of the room is dominated by a huge golden chandelier, made of 7,400 pieces of Murano glass by architect Alvimar Moreina. Some say that the walls would not hold without the weight of the piece.