During the pandemic, the seasonal rental system on Bruno Paschoal’s farm became the family’s main source of income. 90 km from the capital of São Paulo, in the city of Amparo, its well-decorated rooms and houses spread over 40 hectares attracted tourists interested in rest, home office and contact with nature.
But one of the accommodations in particular aroused (and still does) in travelers a mix of feelings: in front of the Catalan Chapel, a building from the 1950s with a cross on top, frescoed ceiling, tower, stained glass windows, confessional and everything else that a church has the right, there were people who experienced fear, prejudice and doubt about whether or not to stay there.
“I imagine that around 70% of people reject the idea and 30% like it. It’s more of a ‘love it or hate it’ thing”, evaluates Paschoal. “Whoever comes really enjoys the experience. We haven’t had any complaints yet.”
The Catalan Chapel of Amparo was built with inspiration from the Church of Sant Climent de Taüll, in the province of Lleida, in Spain — this one, built between the 11th and 12th centuries. a painting of the Pantocrator, the representation of Jesus with his right hand in the blessing position.
In the chapel of Fazenda Santa Esther, the four-story tower houses all the services of the accommodation. On the first floor is the kitchen, equipped with a stove, fridge, sink, microwave, cupboards and basic utensils.
Going up to the second floor, you reach the washbasin, with a toilet “stored” in a wooden house and a sink for personal hygiene. One more flight of stairs and the visitor will have at their disposal the modern double shower with exposed copper plumbing, without a box and with a 360º view through the four windows.
Above all this, there is a technical area with heaters and an observatory, from where you can admire the entire length of the farm.
It took R$ 150,000 to transform the Catalan Chapel into a suitable and comfortable hostel. The entire space was painted — with the exception of the Pantocrato on the altar, which was completely preserved —, the choir ceiling was restored, and all the improvements were made to the bell tower, which was previously an absolutely empty and unused space.
“It had been more than a decade since the chapel hosted any religious events. The Bishop of Amparo was not even authorizing weddings in the chapel anymore because it was no longer consecrated, it didn’t have a routine of religious events and we didn’t contribute to the Vatican”, explains Paschoal.
The family then promoted some events, immersions and artistic experiences in the chapel. However, with the pandemic, it was necessary to interrupt all these collective activities and thus came the idea of changing the place.
“We decided to transform it into the space that most spoke to the spirit of the time we lived in: a spacious luxury chalet, a sacred loft experience, the only possible use for the space at that moment, respecting isolation”, says the owner.
The first guests were the couple Gustavo and Luiz, from the Reservas Pra Dois profile on Instagram. “We chose to invite a homoaffective family to inaugurate the chapel. Precisely they, who are often discriminated against by the Church itself. It was the birthday of one of the daughters and it was very special”, says Paschoal.
Capela Catalan has already appeared in some tweets, reflecting the guest experience, and in them, one can invariably see the division of opinions that the owner says he has become accustomed to.
“Some people are afraid to sleep in the chapel, they talk about hauntings, spirits, they associate it with ‘Midsommar'”, he exemplifies, mentioning the horror film released in 2019, in which a group of young people stay in a village where strange things happen, and where there is an interior construction similar to that of the Catalan Chapel.
“Others find it ‘bad taste’ to be using a religious space as accommodation. Some people also say they are uncomfortable having Jesus looking at them and say they couldn’t have sex or do anything more intimate in the space.”
For Paschoal, it is about “conservatism”. “People don’t understand that spaces can be re-signified and gain new uses, and that God is actually inside us and not in a specific building.”
Since 2017, he has lived with his wife and two daughters at Santa Esther. The property, a fragment of a 19th-century coffee farm with ten times more space than the current one, was purchased by his parents in 1995. The chapel was built by the previous owners, a Catalan family.
Those who stay at Capela Catalã have access to the entire structure of Santa Esther, including a pool, waterfalls and a collective space, the tulha, where meals previously scheduled with the administration can be served.
Among the rooms also available are an old stable, completely renovated and adapted, and another chapel, much smaller than the Catalan one, to which a container has been attached to which the double bedroom is inserted and, at the top, outside, there is a kind of balcony overlooking the valley.
The Catalan Chapel can accommodate up to four people. In the center of the nave is the gigantic double bed, with its back to the altar, where there is a high table with stools for meals. Another table, closer to the main door, also serves as a workspace for those who are going to spend more time.
In the choir, in addition to the harmonius (a kind of organ) that no longer works, there is a sofa bed, facing a 50-inch TV with the main streaming services available. An Alexa and fiber connection make everything even more comfortable.
The charm of the place also lives in the details: the old holy water dispenser is still on the wall, as well as the confessional, which can now serve as a wardrobe or changing table. It is important to know that the stairs of the entire chapel are very narrow and steep, which makes the place not recommended for families with very young children, people with limited mobility, the elderly and obese.
In the decor, there are some harmless jokes. This is the case of the reproduction of “The Garden of Earthly Delights”, by Hieronymus Bosch, which describes the history of the world presenting heaven and hell, and a copy of “The Da Vinci Code”, by Dan Brown, which speculates on the legend of the Holy Grail and the role of Mary Magdalene in the history of Christianity.
Catalan Chapel at Fazenda Santa Esther
Highway SP 360, km 124.3, Amparo, SP. Rates from R$ 600. Capela reservations at airbnb.com/h/fse-capela. For the farm, www.fazendasantaesther.com.br.
