The article gives a brief historical review of the birth, growth, and decline of Ouro Preto, Brazilian township established in the 17th century by gold seekers and slave traders 400 km north of Rio de Janeiro, in the state of Minas Gerais. The gold mines were exhausted in the 18th century. A notable artist left his mark in the town. Son of a Portuguese architect and of an African slave, the sculptor and architect Francisco Antonio Lisboa, better known as El Aleijadinho designed numerous buildings and carved soapstone statues of saints and prophets. These are now endangered by pollution, fungi, and are subject to unexplained disappearances. The legal steps taken to ensure their physical safeguard are briefly exposed. -- AATA