Paróquia São Pedro

Paróquia São Pedro stands tall overlooking Avenida Borges de Medeiros in the middle of Gramado. The exterior is tens of thousands of basalt blocks, quarried from around the region and brought in by ox cart. A wooden chapel stood on the site from 1917. The stone church that replaced it slowly went up using community labour and opened in 1942. The dark basalt is awkward to expose for and may make your photography outing frustrating depending on the time of day you arrive. The harsh midday sun flattens the texture in the stone and blows out the sky behind the tower, so overcast days actually work much better and will be less frustrating. Evening is the ideal time to aim for, since the exterior gets floodlit and blue hour holds detail in both the stone and the sky. You can back up to shoot across the square and take in the whole elevation. The square is lined with full size statues of the twelve apostles can be used as a unique foreground, or a subject of their own when the wide frame is not working. Inside, the windows run through scenes from the life of Peter. Entry is free and the church is open daily, although it is an active parish with services through the week so be respectful of worshippers and check for services before heading inside. Gramado's Christmas season starts in late October and the square gets quite busy but it is extra photogenic too. (Gramado, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil)