Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Conceição da Praia

Looking back towards the city from the Mercado Modelo [1] or Forte São Marcelo [2], there’s no way to miss the stately baroque Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Conceição da Praia (Rua Conceição da Praia, tel. 71/3242-0545, 7 a.m.–noon and 3–7 p.m. Mon., 7 a.m.–5 p.m. Tues.–Fri., 7–11:30 a.m. Sat.–Sun., free). Built in Portugal in 1736, it was then transported piece by piece to the site of Salvador [3]’s first chapel, which overlooks the Bay of All Saints [4].

The patron saint of Salvador, Our Lady of Conception, is also linked to the wildly popular Candomblé orixá Iemenjá, goddess of the sea. Accordingly, the saint’s feast day on December 8 is the occasion for one of the city’s most traditional religious and popular festas.