Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Igreja de Santa Luzia
Rua Santa Luzia and Praça da Academia
East of Cinelândia, on a tree-shaded square called Praça da Academia, the
Igreja de
Santa Luzia
is an attractive eighteenth-century church whose predecessor was built here
in 1592, when it was the seashore - hard to believe today, overshadowed as it is by
huge downtown o
ce buildings. On December 13 each year, devotees enter the “room
of miracles” at the back of the church and bathe their eyes in water from the white
marble font, as this is reputedly a miraculous cure for eye defects.
1
Santa Casa de Misericórdia
Rua Santa Luzia 206 •
Museu da Farmácia
Mon-Fri 8am-noon & 1-5pm • Free •
T
21 2297 6611
Igreja de Nossa Senhora de
Bonsucesso
Daily 7am-9pm • Free •
T
21 2260 7341,
W
santacasarj.org.br
At the intersection of Rua Santa Luzia with the busy Avenida Presidente Antônio
Carlos, directly across the road from the imposing
Fazenda Federal
(Federal Treasury
building), the
Santa Casa de Misericórdia
is a large colonial structure dating from 1582.
It was built for the Sisterhood of Misericordia, a nursing order dedicated to caring for
the sick and providing asylum to orphans and invalids, and it was here in 1849 that,
for the first time in Rio, a case of yellow fever was diagnosed. From 1856 to 1916 the
building was used as Rio's Faculty of Medicine.
The Santa Casa is not open to the public, but you can visit its
Museu da Farmácia
for
its curious collection of pharmacological implements. Also attached to the Santa Casa
is the
Igreja de Nossa Senhora de Bonsucesso
, which contains finely detailed altars, a
collection of Bohemian crystal and an eighteenth-century organ.
Museu Histórico Nacional
Praça Marechal Âncora • Tues-Fri 10am-5.30pm, Sat, Sun & public holidays 2-6pm • R$8; audio guide R$8 •
T
21 2550 9220,
W
museuhistoriconacional.com.br
Uncomfortably located in the shadow of the Presidente Kubitschek flyover, the
Museu
Histórico Nacional
was built in 1762 as an arsenal, and later served as a military prison
where escaped slaves were detained. In 1922, the building was converted into an
exhibition centre for the centenary celebrations of Brazil's independence from Portugal
and has remained a museum ever since.
The large
collection
contains some pieces of great value, from furniture to
nineteenth-century firearms and locomotives, and the display on the second floor, a
documentation of
Brazilian history
since 1500, make it a must. Artefacts, charts and
written explanations trace the country's development from the moment of discovery
to the proclamation of the Republic in 1889 - a fascinating insight into the nature of
imperial conquest and subsequent colonial culture. The structure of sixteenth-century
Brazilian society is clearly demonstrated, for example, including the system of
sesmarias
,
enormous royal land grants which are the basis of Brazil's highly unequal land tenure
system to this day. Scale models and imaginative displays illustrate Brazil's economic
history up to the nineteenth century, including the slave-labour plantation system that
produced - at different times - sugar cane, cattle, cotton, rubber and coffee, as well as
the transition from slavery to free labour and the importance of immigration to Brazil.
More recent developments are taken up by the
Museu da República
(see p.74).
Passeio Público
Rua do Passeio Público • Daily 7.30am-9pm • Free •
M
Cinelândia
At the southern end of Cinelândia, where it meets Lapa, the beautifully maintained
Passeio Público
park is an oasis away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Opened
in 1783, it was designed in part by Mestre Valentim da Fonseca e Silva, Brazil's
most important late eighteenth-century sculptor, its trees providing shade for
busts commemorating famous figures from the city's history, including Mestre
Valentim himself.
