Many of us have seen a photo of this gem, by Niemeyer, one of the symbols of Brazilian Modernism. Stretched out on the south bank of Pampulha Lake, the delicate curved outline of the Igreja de São Francisco de Assis, covered in blue ceramics, surprises by its modest proportions. To the rear, the edifice is covered in azulejos, by Cândido Portinari. Disconcerted by its radical style, the Church refused to acknowledge the building for several decades.