José Pereira Arouca

de mestre de obras a ministro, sua participação na Ordem de São Francisco de Assis de Mariana

Abstract

The Portuguese mason José Pereira Arouca, born in 1731, moved to Brazil still young eventually ending up in Mariana, where he developed a successful reputation. Among his important roles besides master of construction, responsible inclusive for valuating other masters works, he was accounting officer for the city chamber, lieutenant and mason craft judge. This eighteenth-century individual, although responsible for a large number of works in the mineral region, is yet to have a study that encompasses the most prominent position adopted by him in his remarkable career: Minister of the Third Order of St. Francis of Assisi. Through the analysis of the Franciscan documentation we intend to explore the path which this master took from the beginning of the Franciscan chapel construction to a major title within the order.