Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Catedral Metropolitana and Praça de Se
Praça da Sé (Praça Conselheiro Mata) • Daily 7am-8pm • Free •
T
38 3531 1094,
W
arquidiamantina.org.br
Despite the comparative modernity of the
Catedral Metropolitana de Santo Antônio
,
built between 1933 and 1940 on the site of an old colonial church, the cathedral
square itself is worth savouring. It's lined with
sobrados
(colonial mansions), many of
them with exquisite ornamental bronze and ironwork, often imported from Portugal -
look closely and you'll see iron pineapples on the balconies. Most impressive of all are
the serried windows of the massive seventeenth-century
Casa da Intendência
, and the
ornate
Banco do Brazil
building next to it - possibly unique in Brazil in that it spells the
country name the old way, with a “z”.
2
Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Carmo
Rua do Carmo • Open sporadically Tues-Sun (not lunchtimes) • R$2
Diamantina's most enticing church is the
Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Carmo
. Built
between 1760 and 1784, legend has it that the heir of Diamantina's richest miner made
sure the tower was built at the back of the church rather than the front, as was usual,
so the bells didn't disturb his wife's beauty sleep. Inside is an atypically florid interior,
whose two main features are a rich, intricately carved altar screen and a rare gold-
sheathed organ, built in Diamantina in 1782. Note that, as is frequently the case in
Diamantina, the church is often closed.
Mercado dos Tropeiros
Praça Barão do Guaicuí 170 • Fri 6am-11pm & Sat 6am-3pm • Free
The old
Mercado dos Tropeiros
, just a block downhill from the cathedral square, was
once the focus of trade for the whole region, and though it now exists primarily for
tourists it's worth seeing for the building alone - an interesting tiled wooden structure
built in 1835 as a trading station by the Brazilian army, with a facade of rustic but very
elegant shallow arches.
The market itself has a very Northeastern feel, with its cheeses,
doces
made from sugar
and fruit, blocks of salt and raw sugar,
cachaça
sold by the shot as well as by the bottle
and mules and horses tied up alongside the pick-ups - these days there are also cheap
snack stalls and handicrafts for sale, as well as live music on Friday evening.
Casa Chica da Silva
Praça Lobo de Mesquita 266 • Tues-Sat noon-5.30pm, Sun 8.30am-noon • R$2 •
T
38 3531 2491
Generally unknown outside of Brazil,
Chica da Silva
(1732-96) remains something of
a legend inside the country (inspiring movies and
telenovelas
) - the
Casa Chica da Silva
is dedicated to her story. Chica was a born a slave, but became rich and powerful
nonetheless; she eventually became the mistress of her owner, João Fernandes de
Oliveira, the government overseer of diamond mining in the region, and was
eventually freed by him, living in this house and having thirteen children (though
they were never married). The house is beautifully maintained to mirror how it would
have looked in Da Silva's time, though the entertaining guides who bring the story to
life rarely speak English.
Casa da Glória
Rua da Glória 298 • Tues-Sun 1-6pm • R$1 •
T
38 3531 1394
More worthwhile for the building than its contents, the eighteenth-century
Casa
da Glória
was inspired by Venetian architecture. This former residence of diamond
supervisors, episcopal see of the first bishops of Diamantina and subsequently a school,
is now part of the Institute of Geology and contains a modest collection of maps,
gemstones and minerals. The premises spans both sides of the street, linked by the
iconic
Passadiço da Glória
(1878), Diamantina's own “Bridge of Sighs”.
