SÃO PAULO, Brazil – Since the ceiling of a historical church in Salvador, Bahia state, fell and killed a tourist on Feb. 5, government agencies have already shut down 12 churches in the city under risk of collapsing.

Definite solutions for the crisis of conservation of ancient churches in the city, however, are not visible yet.

The incident at the Church of Saint Francis, a 17th-century church connected to a monastery which is known as the so-called Golden Church – due to the internal decoration with golden linings – killed 26-year-old tourist Giulia Righetto and wounded five other people.

According to reports, the church had been showing signs of structural problems since 2013, with percolation of water, elements of the ceiling falling down and uneven floor. The police are currently conducting an inquiry in order to determine the responsibilities for the tragedy.

The Franciscan friars in charge of the temple had asked an inspection of the federal agency in charge of the historical patrimony one day before the collapse. It’s not clear yet, however, why the church remained open for visitors if it was noticeably under risk. The Franciscan friars didn’t answer Crux‘s interview requests.

The collapse shocked many in the country. The Saint Francis church is famous for the “exquisite detail in its paintings, imagery, carving and tiling, in addition to the imposing architecture with austere features,” as described Janaina Ayres, an expert in sacred art.

“The Franciscan Church of Salvador is one of the most important temples since the Portuguese-Brazilian colonial period due to the fact that it signals the strong Franciscan influence as one of the orders that most collaborated in the formation of society, providing assistance and professing the Catholic doctrine,” Ayres added.

Salvador was Brazil’s first capital city, so it concentrates many churches and historical buildings of the colonial era. Most of them have been listed by the patrimony agencies as historical sites and cannot undergo any change. The lack of adequate maintenance has been putting most of them in danger.

“Our major concern is the wooden parts. Ceilings, roofs and altars were usually made of wood,” Father Edilson Conceição told Crux. Over time, termites eat everything, he added.

Conceição is the coordinator of the Archdiocese of Salvador’s commission of cultural assets, created to monitor the situation of the church’s historical buildings. Even before the incident, the group had been intensifying its work in order to identify the most serious cases, he said. But the commission doesn’t have money to really solve the situation – all it can do is to report the problems to the government’s authorities.

Conceição himself faces the problem in his daily life. The church in which he’s the vicar, Our Lady of Penha – part of a complex that began to be built in 1560 – had to be partially shut down three years ago due to problems in the ceiling.

“When it starts to rain at night, I can’t even continue to sleep,” he said.

The wooden structure was damaged and the major nave had to be interdicted. Only the side ailes can be visited, he said. The parish’s see has been transferred to another temple.

Next month, the commission will begin to visit the churches that have been more damaged and discuss with the vicars the necessary measures, Conceição said.

Since the accident, the city’s civil defense has intensified its monitoring operations, shutting down at least 12 historical churches already. That doesn’t mean, however, that reconstruction will begin anytime soon. It depends on the availability of funds for that, either coming from the government or the Church, something that is not realistic in Brazil.

The lack of funds – and of attention – for the conservation of buildings in Brazil has been chronic. One of the lowest points in that history was the 2018 fire in the National Museum in Rio de Janeiro. The incident destroyed much of the historic and scientific collection accumulated for 200 years as well as the building itself.

This week, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s administration announced that it will restore 144 historical buildings all over the nation. Only one church in Salvador was selected, however.

Besides the churches, the civil defense recently inspected the historical areas of Salvador and considered that 405 buildings are under risk.

“We have been asking the state government to create a restoration school here in Salvador. We don’t even have the professionals to take care of our churches,” Conceição said.