São Sebastião

Situated in the heart of the old fishing village of Boiçucanga, the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception is much more than a religious building — it is the living record of how caiçara communities organized, celebrated and lived before the coast was overtaken by tourism. Built between 1920 and 1940 with handmade clay bricks, a facade with colonial influences and a preserved wooden interior, it occupies a privileged place in the neighborhood's central square — the former "adro da mentira", the popular name for the space where, after Masses, the community would gather to converse, trade and decide the collective directions of fishing life.

Listed by Municipal Law 943/94 as Historical and Cultural Heritage of São Sebastião, the chapel was chosen as the first to be included in the "Capelas Caiçaras — Memória e Fé" project by FUNDASS, launched in December 2025, which updated its information plaques in Portuguese and English and provided audio description for people with visual impairments — thus making it a renewed symbol of the municipality's cultural preservation and inclusion policy.

Today the square around it pulses with the energy of Praça Pôr do Sol, the kiosks and the beach activity — yet the chapel remains the silent anchor of this lively present, reminding visitors that Boiçucanga was, above all, a place of simple faith, nets spread in the sun and Masses sung loudly through windows open to the sea. A visit is a way to understand the caiçara spirit that underpins the vibrant coastal life that has transformed the neighborhood in recent decades.

Practical Information

Address: Praça da Mentira — Boiçucanga, São Sebastião

Listing: Municipal Law 943/94

Project: Capelas Caiçaras — Memória e Fé (FUNDASS, 2025)

Visiting: Exterior open; interior during Masses and festivities

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