OFFICIAL TOURISM WEBSITE
HISTORIC CHURCHES
Rua Pedro Natálio Lorenzetti, 511 - Downtown
(14) 3263-1801
The Independent Presbyterian Church, the first protestant church in Lençóis Paulista, was built on December 15, 1880. One of its pastors was the Reverend Vicente Themudo Lessa, a great scholar of the Sacred Scriptures, who, combined with his culture and intelligence, was also the author of several Christian books.
Reverend Vicente Themudo Lessa was the father of the writer Orígenes Lessa, one of the many illustrious sons of Lençóis Paulista. Currently, it has a temple, recently restructured, next to the first church, with capacity for 500 people.
The first temple, affectionately called “Igrejinha (Little Church)” is still maintained, which denotes its ecclesiastical importance in the city.
"The Little Church" - Independent Presbyterian Church
Sanctuary of Nossa Senhora da Piedade (Our Lady of Mercy Santuary)
José Magnani Square, in front of Rua 7 de Setembro s/n°
(14) 3263-0130
The church is mentioned in the land donation document to Nossa Senhora da Piedade, on April 28, 1858, which assures us that it already existed on that date and, presumably, that there was a chapel dedicated to Nossa Senhora da Piedade. Piedade, being then the first mother church in the city. The main church, as we have it today, was inaugurated in 1953.
In 2000, the Church was declared by Dom Antônio Maria Mucciolo, the Archbishop of the city de Botucatu, Jubilee Sanctuary, becoming the destination of pilgrims from all over the region, receiving the designation of Archdiocesan Sanctuary of Nossa Senhora da Piedade.
The church, now Sanctuary, underwent three major renovations, the last one in 2015, which involved symbolism, research and a lot of effort. The old laid brick flooring has been replaced with granite/quartz. The wall received the same material, with marble details and white and yellow panels, symbolizing a jewel. At the back of the church, there is an altarpiece with the image of Nossa Senhora Aparecida and seven yellow rays on the back was made. In the center of the church is a reinterpretation of the coat of arms of Pope John Paul II, with the M for Mary. The ceiling painted in blue was coated with stars, to give depth to the sky and symbolizes the mantle of Nossa Senhora da Aparecida. The tones of the external paint rescue the early days of the church. The stained glass windows of the Sanctuary that were donated by families from Lençóis and give even more beauty to the construction were preserved.
The Sanctuary also houses an image of the Pietá carved in wood by an Italian artist, some paintings by the plastic artist from Lençóis, Ivone Paccola, in which she portrays the pains of Mary and the replica of the “Cathedra” used by Pope Benedict XVI, when he came to Brazil to canonization of Frei Galvão and which was built by the students of the SENAI (industrial schooll) in Lençóis Paulista. Recently the Sanctuary underwent an internal and external renovation, with all its structure and architectural beauty prevailing. Its garden houses sculptures, where there is an image of an angel indicating the path of the sorrows of Our Lady and another seven representing the Seven Sorrows of the Mother of Mercy.