The Chapel of Our Lady of the Ladder () is a 16th-century

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

church located in

Salvador Salvador, meaning "salvation" (or "saviour") in Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese may refer to: * Salvador (name) Arts, entertainment, and media Music *Salvador (band), a Christian band that plays both English and Spanish music ** ''Salvador'' ( ...

Bahia Bahia () is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Mina ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. It was constructed as part of the Nossa Senhora de Escada sugar plantation by Lázaro Arévolo, likely in 1566; he donated the chapel to the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

in the late 16th century. The chapel is part of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of São Salvador da Bahia The Archdiocese of São Salvador da Bahia () is part of the Roman Catholic Church in Brazil. The Archbishop of São Salvador da Bahia also carries the title Primate of Brazil. The archdiocese is located in the city of Salvador, Bahia. The Archdi ...

; it was listed as a historic structure by the

National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage The National Historic and Artistic Heritage Institute (, IPHAN) is a heritage register of the federal government of Brazil. It is responsible for the preservation of buildings, monuments, structures, objects and sites, as well as the register an ...

(IPHAN) in 1962. It and the

Church and Monastery of Our Lady of Monserrate The Church and Monastery of Our Lady of Monserrate () is a 16th-century Roman Catholic church and monastery located in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. The church and monastery are dedicated to Our Lady of Monserrate and belongs to the Roman Catholic ...

are the only remaining 16th-century chapels in Salvador.

History

The chapel was the scene of an invasion by Dutch forces during their takeover of Salvador as part of the Dutch occupation of Brazil.

John Maurice, Prince of Nassau-Siegen John Maurice of Nassau ( ; ; ; ; 17 June 1604 – 20 December 1679), called "the Brazilian" for his fruitful period as governor of Dutch Brazil, was Count and (from 1664) Prince of Nassau-Siegen. He served as ''Herrenmeister'' (equivalent to Gra ...

, used the site to invade Salvador in April and May 1638. A stone plaque was placed on an exterior wall in 1930 to commemorate the event.

Structure

The chapel includes a nave, altar, sacristy, choir, enclosed porch, and belfry. The chapel, with its enclosed porch, resembles the Chapel of Our Lady of Help (''Capela de Nossa Senhora da Ajuda'') in

Cachoeira Cachoeira ( Portuguese, meaning waterfall) is an inland municipality of Bahia, Brazil, on the Paraguaçu River. The town exports sugar, cotton, and tobacco and is a thriving commercial and industrial centre. The municipality contains 56% of the ...

; Chapel of Saint Joseph of Jenipapo (''Capela de São José do Jenipapo'') in

Castro Alves Antônio Frederico de Castro Alves (14 March 1847 – 6 July 1871) was a Brazilian poet and playwright famous for his abolitionist and republican poems. One of the most famous poets of the Condorist movement, he wrote classics such as '' Esp ...

; and the

Chapel of Saint Antony of Velásquez A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are o ...

in Vera Cruz, Itaparica Island. An image of Our Lady of the Ladder dates to the 18th century. The pulpit is accessed via an outer stair.

Protected status

The

restored the façade of the chapel in 1966, removing its Baroque-style pediment and restoring its design, in theory, to its original form. Further work was carried out to stabilize the building structure due to the risk of collapse in 2007.

Protected status

The Chapel of Our Lady of the Ladder was listed as a historic structure by the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage in 1962.

Access

The Chapel of Our Lady of the Ladder is open to the public and may be visited.

References

{{Subject bar , portal1= Catholicism , portal2= Brazil Roman Catholic churches in Salvador, Bahia 16th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Brazil National heritage sites of Bahia Portuguese colonial architecture in Brazil