Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1
Real Gabinete Português de Leitura
Rua Luís de Camões 30 • Mon-Fri 9am-6pm • Free •
T
21 2221 3138,
W
www.realgabinete.com.br •
M
Uruguaiana
A block west of the Largo de São Francisco de Paula, the
Real Gabinete Português de
Leitura
is a library dedicated to Portugal and Portuguese literature. The building was
completed in 1887 and is immediately identifiable by its magnificently ornate facade,
styled after fifteenth-century Portuguese architecture. The reading room is lit by a red,
white and blue stained-glass skylight and contains many of the library's 350,000
volumes. Among the rarest is the 1572 first edition of
Os Lusíados
- the Portuguese
national epic poem by Luís de Camões, based on Vasco da Gama's voyage of
exploration - which is occasionally on view.
Igreja e Convento de Santo Antônio
Largo da Carioca • Mon, Wed, Thurs & Fri 8am-7pm, Tues 6.30am-8pm, Sat 8am-noon, Sun & public holidays 9am-noon • Free •
M
Carioca
At the southern end of Rua Uruguaiana, the
Largo da Carioca
, a large square (originally
a lake) where street traders sell leather goods, is presided over by the
Igreja e Convento
de Santo Antônio
. A tranquil, cloistered refuge, built between 1608 and 1620, this is
the oldest church in Rio and was founded by Franciscan monks who arrived in Brazil
in 1592. Known as St Anthony of the Rich (to differentiate it from St Anthony of the
Poor, which is located elsewhere in the city), it is dedicated to St Anthony, a popular
saint in Brazil, whose help was sought during the French invasion of 1710. Although
he was Italian and died in 1231, St Anthony was made a captain in the Brazilian army
but he had to wait until 1814 to be promoted to lieutenant-colonel, a rank he held for
a century before retiring from service in 1914.
The interior of the church contains a beautiful
sacristy
, made of Portuguese marble
and decorated in blue
azulejo
tiles, which depict St Anthony's miracles. The rich
wooden ornamentation, carved from jacaranda, includes the sacristy's great chest. The
image of Christ, adorned with a crown of thorns - a remarkable work of great skill -
was brought over from Portugal in 1678.
In the church's crypt, the
Tomb of Wild Jock of Skelater
is the last resting place of
a Scottish mercenary who entered the service of the Portuguese Crown during the
Napoleonic Wars and was later appointed commander-in-chief of the Portuguese
army in Brazil.
Praça Tiradentes
M
Carioca
A couple of blocks northwest of Largo da Carioca on Rua da Carioca,
Praça Tiradentes
is named after the leader of the Inconfidência Mineira (see p.637), who was hanged
here on April 21, 1792. On the north side of the square, the
Teatro João Caetano
is
named after João Caetano dos Santos, who based his drama company in the theatre
from 1840. His shows starred some of the most famous actors of the day, including
Sarah Bernhardt, and Caetano is also honoured by a bust in the square itself. In the
second-storey hall of the theatre hang two large panels painted in 1930 by Emiliano
di Cavalcanti (one of Brazil's great modernist artists), which, with strong tropical
colours, explore the themes of Carnaval and popular religion.
West from Centro
From the waterfront and Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Candelária,
Avenida Presidente
Vargas
runs west, to Centro do Brasil (Dom Pedro II)
train station
and on to the
Sambódromo
, where the Carnaval procession takes place. The avenue was inaugurated
with a military parade in 1944, watched by Vargas himself. Today, it's Rio's widest
avenue, running west for almost 3km, and carrying fourteen lanes of tra
c. Although
not as dense with sights as Centro, the
bairros
north and south of the avenue still boast
a few points of interest.
