The Spaces of Faith in the City: Mapping the Religious Practices in Rio de Janeiro in the Beginning of XXth Century

Abstract

The presented article articulates the theme of the presence of religious beliefs in the central area of Rio de Janeiro, in the beginning of XXth century, with contemporary methods of digital mapping, from the primary sources related with the chronists views that experienced this dimension of the city, in the eve of the great urban transformations brought by Modernity. From the chronicles of João do Rio and Luiz Edmundo, we seek to visualize the location of places and characters present in their reports, revealing the coexistence of various religious beliefs far beyond the churches which formed the most basic and visible matrix of religion in urban space. In the end, comparisons with nowadays city reveal the transformations of its form and uses that deeply modified its character in the period of a century.

Keywords: Mapping, Religion, Rio de Janeiro, Society.