Exhibition ‘Círio: Festival in Motion’ inaugurates a new phase of the Círio Museum this Wednesday (8)
The exhibition, which will be on display until January 11, 2026, stimulates visitors' memories through the symbols of the religious celebration
The exhibition “Círio: Festival in Motion” inaugurates a new phase of the Círio Museum starting this Wednesday (8). According to the museum's director, Márcio Figueiredo, the exhibition adds to the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the space, which will be completed in October 2026. Located in the Feliz Lusitânia Complex in Belém, the museum will keep the exhibition on display until January 11, 2026, with free entry and visiting hours from Tuesday to Sunday, from 9 am to 5 pm.
The exhibition brings together different pieces from the museum's collection that trace the history of the space and the celebration of Our Lady of Nazaré, one of the largest cultural manifestations in the country. The theme is inspired by the movement of the rope that advances, the crowd that walks, the faith that pulses in every corner of the city, and also by the transformation process that the museum itself is undergoing.
The realization is by the Instituto Sotaques, with support from the State Department of Culture (Secult), through the Integrated System of Museums and Memorials (SIMM), to which the Círio Museum is linked. The sponsorship is from Hydro, via the Rouanet Law.
In this new phase, in addition to structural restoration, the museum seeks to offer a multisensory experience to visitors, with a permanent and interpretative exhibition design. For the director, the renovation and the exhibition connect in the purpose of showing that the Círio also renews itself every year. The choice to start the exhibition on the eve of the festival reinforces this idea of constant movement.
“Our expectation is that people can enter the Círio Museum and leave different, with the thought that the Círio is not something rooted, but in motion, alive and in transformation. This is the proposal of this new phase: to present the Círio as something dynamic, in constant renewal,” explains Figueiredo.
The selection of pieces prioritizes the main symbols of the celebration, such as the rope, the mantle of Our Lady of Nazaré, and the carriage that carries her during the processions. The exhibition also displays a series of photographs by Rafael Tomazi, a photographer who has collaborated with the museum on other occasions and provided images especially for this edition. “It is an exhibition composed, for the most part, of elements from the Círio Museum's own collection, but with a new look. We want to tell a new story using our collection and these photographs, which dialogue with the concept of the exhibition,” adds the director.
The launch also marks the beginning of a mobilization campaign for fundraising, aiming to attract partner companies and institutions in building a space worthy of the grandeur of the Círio and the people of Pará. “It is an open exhibition made for everyone. Those who have lived the Círio for years will recognize themselves, and those who have never participated will be able to understand that the Círio does not happen only on the second Sunday of October. It occupies the entire month, involves various professions and celebrations. As the name of the exhibition itself says: Círio, festival in motion,” concludes Figueiredo.
Service
Exhibition: Círio: Festival in Motion
Location: Círio Museum – Feliz Lusitânia Complex, Belém/PA
Opening: October 8
Period: until January 11, 2026
Visitation: Tuesday to Sunday, from 9 am to 5 pm
Entry: free
Text: Maycon Marte / Ascom Secult
