When we visited Salvador Bahia, I wanted to go back to the Sao Francisco Jesuit church. The baroque interior is completely covered in gold leaf. St. Francis would be appalled, and I hope, so would Pope Francis. I wanted to go back to get a better look because I’m cooking up the idea of a short story about a Franciscan frier who goes in everyday with a pocket knife, scrapes off a little gold, and pockets it to melt down, sell and feed the poor.

He is caught and tried by both the State and the Church. The trials and Pope Francis’ ultimate need to make a decision on guilt or innocence, punishment or reward is the heart and dilemma of the story. I wanted to see the chapel again to be better able to write descriptions for the setting the story. Unfortunately, a part of the gold laden ceiling crashed down, killing one tourist and injuring five more just little over a month ago. Now the church is closed, and no one is predicting when it will reopen. After inspections the government closed 12 other churches in Salvador and identified an additional 405 historical structures that could be dangerous.

As it turned out we never got to the upper town but stayed in the lower town in the port area. We were captured by the Capoeira dancing (see earlier post).

While watching Capoeira someone came and tied ribbons to our wrists. If you have ever been to Salvador, you may have been approached by someone with ribbons. Or you may have found a ribbon in the bag along with your purchase. These are Bonfim ribbons. You see them tied to church rails or even on statue wrists or ankles. The tradition started in 1809 when a local printer made up the ribbons as a fundraiser for the Basilica of Nosso Senhor do Bonfim. The ribbon was originally used to hang pendants or crosses around the neck. In the 1950s it became an item in the tourist trade and people started to wear them around their wrist or ankle. Visitors from other parts of Brazil brought them home for friends and family as low-cost souvenirs of Bahiia. They could buy them in rolls and snip them off. A story was imported from Europe that if you tied it on your wrist with three knots you would be granted three wishes when it fell off. At the Bonfim church people tie them to the railings and every three months they are removed and burned in a ceremony and the wishes, if accompanied with proper prayer, are granted.

Here are some pictures of the lower town, some looking up to the upper town.

When you are in the old town you sometimes forget that there is a modern side to Salvador Bahia, which becomes obvious as you sail out of the city.