Congonhas (MG) e o espelho quebrado da representação: entre o progresso industrial e a internacionalização do patrimônio

Abstract

The municipality of Congonhas, located in the central region of Minas Gerais, in addition to being an important mining hub since the Gold Cycle period, is internationally recognized for the significant baroque-rococo artistic legacy attributed to master Aleijadinho, in addition to the rich religious tradition originating in 1757, which led to the construction of the Sanctuary of Senhor Bom Jesus de Matozinhos, a UNESCO World Heritage Site (1985). In an expanded reading of these elements, this thesis investigates the metamorphoses of the city, especially since the 1970s, a time in which two distinct movements collided: on the one hand, the growth of mining and metallurgical activity represented by the expansion of CSN, the construction of the Steel Railway and the installation of Açominas; and on the other, the race for international recognition of heritage. The hypothesis defended is that the confrontation of these divergent visions of the future would have triggered a change in the temporal order, or a crisis in times, thus inaugurating a new regime of historicity, with profound consequences for the representation of the municipality. The methodology used is based on the documentary analysis of official sources, such as Folha de São Paulo, Jornal do Brasil, O Globo and Estado de Minas, and on the oral history approach, with testimonies from key characters in historical facts of the last 50 years in the City of the Prophets, on themes that span art, mining and religiosity.