The church also housed the remains of Salvador Pinzetta, a friar considered ‘venerable’ by the Catholic Church
The main church in the city of Flores da Cunha (RS), in the mountains of Rio Grande do Sul, was hit by fire on Monday afternoon, 25. The Fire Department controlled the flames. There were no injuries in the incident, as the place was closed to patrons at the time the fire started.
The Nossa Senhora de Lourdes church began construction in 1904 and was completed in 1914. Images taken by residents and published on social media show flames on the roof of the church. All that remained of the structure were the walls, in addition to the main altar and an image of Christ, which were preserved.
Local parish priest, Friar Jadir Segala was moved to tears upon seeing the fire. “Our church turned to ashes. We lost everything. It was an inexplicable tragedy. In a matter of minutes, we had a church and now we no longer have one”, declared the friar to Gaúcha radio.
Another Burnt Church.
It’s curious.
They still don’t know the cause.
Caxias do Sul -RS— Póly Silveira (@poli46394282)
According to the priest, the fire started on the roof and spread throughout the church. “We lost a history of more than 100 years. My head is still very far away, I haven’t stopped yet to think about where we are going to take the first step”, said the religious man.
The church also housed the remains of Salvador Pinzetta, a friar considered “venerable” by the Catholic Church and who has a reputation as a saint in the Serra Gaúcha region. The city was preparing the 36th Frei Salvador Vocational Pilgrimage for the next few days, with the theme “With Frei Salvador, being a missionary of welcome, compassion and solidarity”. The tribute will mark 80 years of religious profession of the late friar.
Flores da Cunha and the parish also have the tradition of colored carpets, when sawdust of different colors is used to form designs related to the Catholic faith annually on Corpus Christi day, which will be on Thursday next week, June 4th.
