Cathedral of Salvador

The Cathedral of Salvador displays a facade of light-colored stone punctuated by two sturdy, squat towers topped with tiled pyramids. It served as the heart of the Jesuit mission in Brazil for two centuries. When the Portuguese crown expelled the Jesuits in seventeen fifty-nine, the building transitioned into the city's main cathedral. Inside, the ceiling beams are covered in intricate gold leaf, yet the structure remains defined by the austere, heavy lines favored by the early colonial architects who built it.