Abstract
The mapping of historical records can reveal connections between past and present in the cultural relationship between humans and nature, especially in the use of aromatic woods in religious rituals, where fragrances from wood conveyed sacred symbols and meanings. This study examined the historical use of wood in the Igreja Matriz Nossa Senhora da Graça, São Francisco do Sul, Brazil, to evaluate its symbolic meanings and cultural significance. Built in the seventeenth century, this church contains ecclesiastical furniture carved with Christian symbols, reflecting religious tradition and craftsmanship. Test samples were collected and analyzed for structural characterization and botanical identification, providing insights into the cultural value of the materials. Two native species of the Lauraceae family, both from the Atlantic Forest, were identified: Ocotea porosa (imbuia) and Ocotea odorifera (sassafras). These wood samples are aromatic, with fragrances derived from natural oils and resins. Imbuia was found in 57% of the furniture, sassafras in 42%. These noble woods were selected for organoleptic qualities and durability, highlighting a tradition of crafting “furniture of honor” in Christian practices, where material choices reflected symbolic and spiritual meaning.
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Historical Records of the Cultural Use of Aromatic Wood in a 17th-Century Church in Brazil
Roberta Fernandes Buriti 
,a and João Carlos Ferreira de Melo Júnior ,b
The mapping of historical records can reveal connections between past and present in the cultural relationship between humans and nature, especially in the use of aromatic woods in religious rituals, where fragrances from wood conveyed sacred symbols and meanings. This study examined the historical use of wood in the Igreja Matriz Nossa Senhora da Graça, São Francisco do Sul, Brazil, to evaluate its symbolic meanings and cultural significance. Built in the seventeenth century, this church contains ecclesiastical furniture carved with Christian symbols, reflecting religious tradition and craftsmanship. Test samples were collected and analyzed for structural characterization and botanical identification, providing insights into the cultural value of the materials. Two native species of the Lauraceae family, both from the Atlantic Forest, were identified: Ocotea porosa (imbuia) and Ocotea odorifera (sassafras). These wood samples are aromatic, with fragrances derived from natural oils and resins. Imbuia was found in 57% of the furniture, sassafras in 42%. These noble woods were selected for organoleptic qualities and durability, highlighting a tradition of crafting “furniture of honor” in Christian practices, where material choices reflected symbolic and spiritual meaning.
DOI: 10.15376/biores.20.4.10959-10973
Keywords: Cultural heritage; Historical anatomy; Imbuia; Sassafras; Ecclesiastical furniture
Contact information: a: Post Graduate Program in Cultural Heritage and Society, University of the Region of Joinville (Univille), Rua Paulo Malschitzki, 10 – Zona Industrial Norte, Joinville, SC 89219-501, Brazil; b: Post Graduate Program in Cultural Heritage and Society, University of the Region of Joinville (Univille), Joinville, SC, Brazil; *Corresponding author: robertafernandesburiti@sed.sc.gov.br
Graphical Abstract
INTRODUCTION
In the religious context of Christianity, the church is recognized as a sacred space where religious practice involves the establishment of a symbolic system of beliefs, including sacraments, celebrations, and rituals. The place of worship is considered by the faithful to be a consecrated environment that serves as a refuge, offers eschatological hope, and fosters communal gathering, facilitating the encounter between humanity and God (White 1997). The liturgical architecture of the temple, particularly evident in its interior environment, features arrangements that embody the symbolic meanings of the Hebrew worldview. In this detailed sacred setting, the historical and cultural use of wood contributes to creating a welcoming sacred environment. Wood is likely chosen for its physical and organoleptic properties, as well as its association with Christian beliefs and values (Norgaard 1981).
Ecclesiastical furniture assumes symbolic elements within the religious setting, granting meanings associated with the sacred and religious idiosyncrasies. For instance, the communion table symbolizes God’s fellowship with humankind, while the aromatic fragrance of certain woods signifies God’s presence, intensifying the perception of divine proximity. According to Berger, “the sacred is understood as a quality of mysterious and awe-inspiring power, distinct from humanity yet related to it, believed to reside in certain objects of experience” (Berger 1985, p.38). Thus, the cultural use of wood in temples transcends materiality, becoming a form of expression through aromas, colors, and textures that reveal sacredness and the presence of the divine (Eliade 1992).
The ecclesiastical territory has deep cultural and social roots manifested in practices, symbols, and traditions passed down over time. The use of essential oils from aromatic plants in religious ceremonies — whether through incense burning or sacred perfumes — creates an atmosphere of reverence and sanctity (Pybus and Sell 2007). As Mircea reflects on this sacralization of nature: “[…] For the religious man, nature is never exclusively natural; it is always imbued with a religious value” (Eliade 1992, p.99).
Aromatic plants of the Lauraceae family, such as Chinese cinnamon, rosewood, and sassafras, among others (Craveiro 1980), produce oils found in their leaves and wood, and these are widely used in traditional communities with symbolic connotations (Marques 2001). The first records of the use of aromatic species date back to 2800 BC in documents from Ancient Greece. These records attribute spiritual meanings symbolizing purification and connection with the divine, revealing the intersection between the sacred and aromatic plants and the roots of ancestral practices (Barroso 1978; Coe-Teixeira 1980). Considering this context, the cultural use of wood in ancient traditions is intrinsically linked to symbolic meanings, and the selection of species is far from arbitrary.
In historical constructions from Brazil’s colonial period, Baroque churches highlight the use of wood as a noble material capable of expressing the sacredness, symbolism, and meanings that artists sought to convey, forming geosymbols that compose the sacred territory (Bonnemaison 2002). Architectural elements, Christian iconography, and ecclesiastical furniture are strategically organized to serve ecclesiastical liturgy. The arrangement of elements within the church follows a liturgical and symbolic logic, with each component chosen and placed to create an environment conducive to devotion and worship (White 1997). In many cases, wood is the primary component, present in altars, pulpits, communion tables, sacristies, confessionals, wall coverings, clergy chairs, pews, cabinets, and liturgical objects (Bardi 1982).
Historiographical inventories of religious furniture, described as “credências” (Brandão 1985) in ecclesiastical archives, indicate that woods were chosen based on the symbolic value attributed to each type of furniture, with “honor furniture” crafted from woods considered noble (Canti 1980). Thus, the raw materials, manufacturing techniques, and functional aspects of the furniture reveal not only the object’s history (Meneses 1998) but also aspects of the human cultures that produced and left them as cultural legacies (Cardoso Denis 1998). Before crafting honor furniture, master artisans had to demonstrate their sculptural skills by making miniature wooden furniture. In the Museum of Miniature Furniture at the Château de Vendeuvre in France, religious honor furniture is represented in miniature by master artisans, depicting religious rituals and liturgical knowledge according to their honorary functions (Vendeuvre 2010).
The study of ecclesiastical furniture from a historical-artistic perspective (Rodrigues 1968) as revealed in documents and inventories of ecclesiastical archives (Campos 2007), indicates that ecclesiastical furniture with honorary functions was artistically crafted from high-quality materials, with characteristics adhering to the Catholic calendar and liturgical dogmas (Oliveira 2003). Canon law, which governs the organization of parish archives, instructs the sacristan or treasurer to record religiously significant items in temple inventories (Campos 2005). This cataloging process includes information such as identification, dating, origin, intended use, symbolic significance, and description of the piece and materials used, including the type and color of wood (Canti 1999).
Given the above, it is evident that the cultural use of wood is part of the historical memory of the liturgical environment, involving complex and multifaceted relationships that connect the natural world with human cultural, social, and spiritual constructions (Cosgrove 2003). Despite wood’s prominent role in the Christian sacred landscape during the colonial period, gaps remain not only regarding the origin or identity of the trees used, but also concerning the potential symbolic meanings of its cultural use, linking humans and faith. Thus, the present study aims to investigate the historical woods used in the ecclesiastical heritage of the Igreja Matriz Nossa Senhora da Graça, São Francisco do Sul, Santa Catarina.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
São Francisco do Sul is recognized as the fourth oldest city in Brazil, founded in 1658 by Portuguese settlers. Alcídio Mafra de Souza, in his work Guia dos Bens Tombados de Santa Catarina (Guide of Heritage Sites in Santa Catarina), refers to São Francisco Island in 1519, located in Babitonga Bay. Binot Paulmier de Gonneville visited the island in 1504 (Santos et al. 2004), marking one of the earliest documented contacts between Europeans and indigenous peoples of the region, specifically the Carijós. Gonneville and his crew spent several months in the region, coexisting with the natives before returning to France. However, effective Portuguese colonization only consolidated in the 17th century. Manoel Lourenço de Andrade is credited with the city’s official foundation in 1658, marking the beginning of colonization (Souza 1992).
During the 18th century, São Francisco do Sul’s economy was predominantly agricultural, complemented by a developing port activity. Local agriculture focused on products such as manioc flour, a staple for both local consumption and external trade. Timber extraction also played a crucial role in the regional economy, with the material exported to other parts of Brazil and possibly abroad. Additionally, dried fish and ropes made from Imbé (Philodendrum) plants were significant trade items (Pereira 1984).
In São Francisco do Sul, heritage preservation focused not on individual monuments but on maintaining the integrity of the city’s Historic Center, preserving the historical and architectural characteristics of four hundred properties (IPHAN 1986). This heritage preservation process began in the late 1970s, according to documents from the National Institute of Historical and Artistic Heritage (IPHAN) (IPHAN 1986).
The Shrine of Nossa Senhora da Graça, located in the Historic Center, is one of the municipality’s central historical landmarks (Fig. 1). The first chapel dedicated to Nossa Senhora da Graça was built in 1665. With the village’s growth and population increase, a larger church became necessary (IPHAN 1986). In the 18th century, the original chapel was expanded and renovated, culminating in the construction of the current church. The structure, featuring elements of Portuguese colonial style, was completed in the early 19th century (IPHAN 1986). Its interior environment includes richly ornate furniture entirely made of wood (Table 1, Figs. 2 and 3), representing a cultural use of wood that may provide significant insights into the symbolic religious context of the region.
The collection of wood samples from historical furniture used in the church was authorized by the Archdiocese, the Santa Catarina Cultural Foundation, and IPHAN, under license process No. 01510.000622/2023-45.
Fig. 1. Geographic location and frontal view of the Church Nossa Senhora da Graça, Municipality of São Francisco do Sul, Santa Catarina State, Southern Brazil
To achieve this, conceptual assumptions and protocols of historical anatomy were employed (Melo Júnior 2024a). Historical Anatomy is an interdisciplinary field dedicated to studying the cultural use of wood in historical societies, integrating scientific knowledge from various fields and cultural systems (Melo Júnior 2024a). It highlights the role of wood not only as a functional material but also concerning the traditions, knowledge, and symbolisms surrounding the cultural and historical use of trees, endowing them with patrimonial symbolic value (Melo Júnior 2024b).
The method for identifying the woods used in the ecclesiastical furniture of the Shrine of Nossa Senhora da Graça adhered to standard techniques in wood anatomy (Johansen 1940; Sass, 1951). Sample gathering from the ecclesiastical furniture was performed using an increment borer (Pressler probe) or hand saw, in accordance with historical wood protocols (Melo Júnior 2024a). Simple cylindrical samples with a maximum dimension of 1.0 cm³ were obtained by probing, while simple cubic samples ranging from 1.0 to 2.0 cm were extracted using a saw, ensuring the physical integrity of the furniture.
All samples were collected from inconspicuous locations to avoid compromising the furniture’s static function. The collected samples underwent a cooking process in glycerin water to soften them. The histological sections were made on a sliding microtome with a C-type blade, in the transverse, tangential-longitudinal, and radial-longitudinal planes (Kraus and Ardurin 1997). Subsequently, samples were clarified with sodium hypochlorite (NaClO), washed with distilled water, stained with safrablau (safranin and astral blue), dehydrated using a series of increasing ethanol solutions, and fixed with butyl acetate in a fume hood (Kraus and Ardurin 1997). Mounting was performed using a synthetic resin such as stained glass varnish (Paiva et al. 2006). The drying of the slides was completed on a heated plate. Dissociated material was obtained via a modified Franklin method (Kraus and Ardurin 1997).
The anatomical descriptions followed standard techniques and terminology in wood anatomy (IAWA). Botanical identification of the species was conducted using structural comparison methods based on anatomical descriptions and histological slides created from a scientific reference collection from the JOIhw wood library, supported by transmitted light microscopy, consulting reference works (Record and Hess 1943; Metcalfe and Chalk 1950; Détienne and Jacquet 1983; Mainieri and Chimelo 1989), and utilizing the Insidewood database (Wheeler 2011). Photomicrographs were captured using the OPTICAM O600RT photomicroscope. The samples were cataloged in the historical wood reference collection of the JOIhw wood library at the Laboratory of Wood Anatomy at the University of the Region of Joinville (Table 1). Data regarding the geographical distribution of the taxa identified in the historical wood samples were obtained from the Brazilian Flora database (The Brazil Flora Group 2018).
Fig. 2. Ecclesiastical furniture made of sassafras from the Church Nossa Senhora da Graça, Municipality of São Francisco do Sul, Santa Catarina State, Southern Brazil. Legend entries: A – pulpit; B – confessional; C – presbytery bench; D – candlestick; E – temple pews; and F – offering table