A personal selection of photographs with their stories.
FEBRUARY 2006: Que Belo Horizonte!
“What a beautiful horizon !”. This quote has become legendary , after the late Pope John Paul II made this statement during an open-air mass – with more than half a million believers – , which he held on 1 July 1980 on this square. At that time, the square was named after a governor of the state of Minas Gerais, Israel Pinheiro. Shortly after the mass, the square had been renamed after the Pope, while a street near the Praça do Papa (‘Pope Square’) had been named after the governor. The large square is an extension of Avenida Afonso Pena, which reaches until downtown, and right behind Praça de Bandeira, where a flag ceremony takes place every Monday. Urban park Mangabeiras is located behind Praça do Papa. On this square, a monument reminds of the open-air mass: an angled iron bar and a large cross next to it. From the square, the city of Belo Horizonte is clearly seen; no wonder that the Pope had made his legendary statement, when his eyes caught this breathtaking view.
© Adriano Antoine Robbesom 2006, 2014