4 Best Sights in Minas Gerais, Brazil

The ornate Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, though small, is Sabará's main church and an outstanding example of Portuguese baroque architecture with Asian influences. Its simple exterior gives no indication of the wealth inside, typified by the luxurious gold altar and the lavishly decorated ceiling.

In the Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Carmo grand interior there are some beautiful and colorful stained glass windows with motifs related to the Virgin Mary, as well as works by baroque sculptor Aleijadinho.

Our Lady of Ó Church, one of Brazil's oldest and smallest churches contains paintings said to have been completed by 23 Chinese artists brought from the former Portuguese colony of Macau. Other signs of Asian influence include the Chinese tower and the gilded arches.

In the main square sits the unfinished Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Rosário dos Pretos, circa 1767, which was built, like its counterpart in Ouro Preto, by slaves. Here, however, they ran out of gold before the project could be completed. When slavery was abolished in 1888, the church was left as a memorial.