The Catete Palace ( pt, Palácio do Catete, ) is an urban mansion in
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...
's
Flamengo
Clube de Regatas do Flamengo (; English: ''Flamengo Rowing Club''), more commonly referred to as simply Flamengo, is a Brazilian sports club based in Rio de Janeiro, in the neighborhood of Gávea, best known for their professional football t ...
neighborhood. The property stretches from ''Rua do Catete'' (Catete Street) to ''Praia do Flamengo'' (
Flamengo Beach). Construction began in 1858 and ended in 1867. From 1897 to 1960, it was Brazil's presidential palace and the site of
Getúlio Vargas
Getúlio Dornelles Vargas (; 19 April 1882 – 24 August 1954) was a Brazilian lawyer and politician who served as the 14th and 17th president of Brazil, from 1930 to 1945 and from 1951 to 1954. Due to his long and controversial tenure as Brazi ...
' suicide. It now houses the ''Museu da República'' (Republic Museum) and a theatre. The Catete underground rail station is adjacent.
History
The building was built as the residence of family of the Portuguese-born Brazilian coffee producer António Clemente Pinto, Baron of
Nova Friburgo
Nova Friburgo (, ger, Neufreiburg, , en, New Fribourg, commonly referred to as just "Friburgo") is a municipality in the state of Rio de Janeiro in southeastern Brazil. It is located in the mountainous region, in the Center Mesoregion of the stat ...
, in the then capital of the
Empire of Brazil
The Empire of Brazil was a 19th-century state that broadly comprised the territories which form modern Brazil and (until 1828) Uruguay. Its government was a representative parliamentary constitutional monarchy under the rule of Emperors Dom Pe ...
. It was called the Palace of Largo Valdetaro and Palace of Nova Friburgo.
With the design of German architect Carl Friedrich Gustav Waehneldt, dated 1858, the work began with the demolition of the old house. The construction officially ended in 1866, but the finishing works still continued for over a decade.
After the death of the Baron and the Baroness, their son Antônio Clemente Pinto Filho, the Count of São Clemente, sold the property in 1889, shortly before the
Proclamation of the Republic of Brazil, to an investors group, who founded the ''Companhia Grande Hotel Internacional'' (Grande Hotel Internacional Company). This development, however, did not succeed in turning the palace into a luxury hotel. Due to the economic crisis in the late 1880s and early 1890s (The ''
Encilhamento
The Encilhamento was an economic bubble that boomed in the late 1880s and early 1890s in Brazil, bursting during the early years of the First Brazilian Republic (1889–1894) and leading to an institutional and a financial crisis. Two Financ ...
''), the venture went bankrupt, and its titles acquired by counselor Francisco de Paula Mayrink. Five years later, Mayrink paid off debts to the
Bank of Brazil.
The seat of the executive branch of Brazil was the Itamaraty Palace in Rio de Janeiro. In 1897,
President
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*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Prudente de Morais
Prudente José de Morais e Barros (; 4 October 1841 – 3 December 1902) was a Brazilian lawyer and politician who was the third president of Brazil. He is notable as the first civilian president of the country, the first to be elected by direc ...
became ill and Vice President
Manuel Vitorino
Manuel Vitorino Pereira (30 January 1853 – 9 November 1902) was Governor of Bahia from 1889 to 1890 and the second vice president of Brazil, serving under President Prudente de Morais from 1894 to 1898. He also served as the President of ...
took office as interim. He acquired the Catete Palace and over there installed the seat of government. Officially, the palace was the seat of the
Federal Government
A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...
from 1897 until 1960, when the capital and the Federal District were transferred to
Brasília
Brasília (; ) is the federal capital of Brazil and seat of government of the Federal District. The city is located at the top of the Brazilian highlands in the country's Central-West region. It was founded by President Juscelino Kubitsche ...
.
Various historical events happened in the palace halls, such as the death of President
Afonso Pena
Afonso Augusto Moreira Pena (; 30 November 1847 – 14 June 1909) was a Brazilian politician who served as the List of presidents of Brazil, sixth president of Brazil between 1906 and 1909. Before his political career, Pena had been an attorney ...
in 1909; the signing of the declaration of war against the
German Empire
The German Empire (),Herbert Tuttle wrote in September 1881 that the term "Reich" does not literally connote an empire as has been commonly assumed by English-speaking people. The term literally denotes an empire – particularly a hereditary ...
and its allies in 1917, during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
; the visit and hosting of Cardinal Eugenio Pacelli, the future
Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII ( it, Pio XII), born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli (; 2 March 18769 October 1958), was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 2 March 1939 until his death in October 1958. Before his e ...
, in 1934; the declaration of war against the
Axis
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Mathematics
* Axis of rotation: see rotation around a fixed axis
* Axis (mathematics), a designator for a Cartesian-coordinat ...
in
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
in 1942; the suicide of President
Getúlio Vargas
Getúlio Dornelles Vargas (; 19 April 1882 – 24 August 1954) was a Brazilian lawyer and politician who served as the 14th and 17th president of Brazil, from 1930 to 1945 and from 1951 to 1954. Due to his long and controversial tenure as Brazi ...
in 1954, with a shot in the heart, in his bedroom on the third floor of the palace; among others.
Gallery
File:Palacio Catete-1897.jpg, Main façade of the Catete Palace with statues of the Muses
In ancient Greek religion and mythology, the Muses ( grc, Μοῦσαι, Moûsai, el, Μούσες, Múses) are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the p ...
at the top, 1897.
File:Post-mortem Afonso Pena.jpg, Funeral of President Afonso Pena in the palace, 15 June 1909
File:Museu da República.jpg, The main staircase of the former Presidential Palace
File:Museu reublica salao ministerial.jpg, The Ministerial Room
File:Quarto de Getúlio Vargas 01.jpg, President Vargas' bedroom
File:Palácio do Catete0015.JPG, Allegorical sculpture
File:Palácio do Catete0054.JPG, Statue on the lake
File:Jardins do Palácio do Catete (2).jpg, Palace grounds
See also
*
Catetinho
The Catetinho was the first official workplace of the President of Brazil Juscelino Kubitschek.
History
The name ''Catetinho'' comes from the then official residence of the president, the Catete Palace. Oscar Niemeyer's project, was built in ju ...
*
Palácio do Planalto
The Palácio do Planalto () in Brasília is the official workplace of the president of Brazil.[Palácio da Alvorada
The Palácio da Alvorada () is the official residence of the President of Brazil. It is located in the national capital of Brasília, on a peninsula at the margins of Paranoá Lake. The building was designed by Oscar Niemeyer and built between ...](_blank)
{{Authority control
Presidential palaces in Brazil
Palaces in Rio de Janeiro (city)
Museums in Rio de Janeiro (city)
Theatres in Rio de Janeiro (city)
History museums in Brazil
Government buildings completed in 1867
Houses completed in 1867
1867 establishments in Brazil
Tourist attractions in Rio de Janeiro (city)
Neoclassical architecture in Brazil
National heritage sites of Rio de Janeiro (state)