The Guanabara Palace ( pt, Palácio Guanabara, formerly known as ''Paço Isabel'') is located on Pinheiro Machado Street (formerly Guanabara Street), in the
Laranjeiras
Laranjeiras (, ''orange trees'') is an upper-middle-class neighborhood located in the South Zone of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Primarily residential, It is one of the city's oldest neighborhoods, having been founded in the 17th century, with the ...
neighborhood (''
bairro
A ''bairro'' () is a Portuguese language, Portuguese word for a Quarter (urban subdivision), quarter or a neighborhood or, sometimes, a district which is within a city or town. It is commonly used in Portugal, Brazil, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, ...
''), in the
south zone of
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 ...
, capital of the
homonymous state. It is the official seat of the government of the State of Rio de Janeiro. The Guanabara Palace should not be confused with
Laranjeiras Palace, located in the same neighborhood (at Paulo Cesar Andrade Street, 407), which is the official residence of the
Governor of the State of Rio de Janeiro.
History
Originally built with
neoclassical characteristics, its construction was started by Portuguese José Machado Coelho in 1853, having been used as a private residence until the 1860s. It was bought by the
Brazilian imperial family
The Brazilian Imperial Family (Brazilian Portuguese: ''Família Imperial Brasileira'') is a Brazilian Dynasty of Portuguese origin that ruled the Empire of Brazil from 1822 in Brazil, 1822 to 1889 in Brazil, 1889, after the proclamation of indepe ...
in 1864 and then renovated by architect José Maria Jacinto Rebelo, becoming the residence of
Princess Isabel and her husband, the
Count of Eu
Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...
, being then known as ''Paço Isabel''. The building belonged to the princes until the
proclamation of the Republic, in 1889, when it was confiscated by the republican military government and transferred to the
Union
Union commonly refers to:
* Trade union, an organization of workers
* Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets
Union may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment
Music
* Union (band), an American rock group
** ''Un ...
, gaining its current name.
In 1908, a new renovation, led by Francisco Marcelino de Souza Aguiar, gave the façade of the palace eclectic features. It was reformed again in 1920 for the occasion of the visit of King
Albert of Belgium and his wife
Elisabeth.
The palace was used as official residence by various
presidents of Brazil
The president of Brazil ( pt, Presidente do Brasil), officially the president of the Federative Republic of Brazil ( pt, Presidente da República Federativa do Brasil) or simply the ''President of the Republic'', is the head of state and head o ...
, including 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 ...
during the
Estado Novo (1937–1945). It was attacked during the
putsch carried out by the
Brazilian Integralist Action
Brazilian Integralist Action (Portuguese: ''Ação Integralista Brasileira'', AIB) was an integralist/fascist political party in Brazil. It was based upon the ideology of Brazilian Integralism as developed by its leader Plínio Salgado. Brazilian ...
in 1938; the attackers were repelled by the Special Police (a division of the Civil Police of the Federal District), a reaction later reinforced by the
Army
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
.
In 1946, the Guanabara Palace became the seat of the
Federal District
A federal district is a type of administrative division of a federation, usually under the direct control of a federal government and organized sometimes with a single municipal body. Federal districts often include capital districts, and they e ...
's City Hall, ceasing to be the official residence of the presidency, until 1960, when president
Juscelino Kubitschek
Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira (; 12 September 1902 – 22 August 1976), also known by his initials JK, was a prominent Brazilian politician who served as the 21st president of Brazil from 1956 to 1961. His term was marked by economic prosp ...
transferred Brazil's capital 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 ...
. In 1960, when the city of Rio de Janeiro ceased to be the capital of Brazil, the territory of the former Federal District became the state of
Guanabara, at that moment, the palace became the seat of the Government of the State of Guanabara, a role it would maintain after the merger of the State of Guanabara with the State of Rio de Janeiro, in 1975, during the government of president
Ernesto Geisel
Ernesto Beckmann Geisel (, ; 3 August 1907 – 12 September 1996) was a Brazilian Army officer and politician, who was List of Presidents of Brazil, President of Brazil from 1974 to 1979, during the Brazilian military regime.
Early life and fa ...
. At the same time, the Guanabara Palace was donated by the Union to the State of Rio de Janeiro and the Ingá Palace, in
Niterói
Niterói (, ) is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality of the state of Rio de Janeiro (state), Rio de Janeiro in the Southeast Region, Brazil, southeast region of Brazil. It lies across Guanabara Bay facing the city of Rio de Janeiro and forms ...
, ceased to host the state government.
Brazilian Imperial Family v. Union
In December 1889, when the palace was confiscated by the military government and transferred to the Union, decree 78-A formally banished the imperial family and forced Emperor
Pedro II to liquidate his assets in Brazilian territory within two years. A new decree of the then-provisional government, in 1890, determined that the imperial family's assets were incorporated into the Union.
A third decree in the following year, already under the 1891 Republican Constitution, again determined the transfer of possession of the palace to the Union, but a court decision at the time in favor of the legal representative of the imperial family in Brazil stopped the execution of the order of president
Deodoro da Fonseca
Manuel Deodoro da Fonseca (; 5 August 1827 – 23 August 1892) was a Brazilian politician and military officer who served as the first president of Brazil. He was born in Alagoas in a military family, followed a military career, and became a n ...
. The basic argument was that, as much as the Imperial Family had lost its political rights and privileges, the "political revolution" of 1889, consolidated with the Constitution of 1891, did not affect the private property rights of the former dynasty. Thus, until 1894 the Imperial Family's possession of the palace was not disturbed.
In 1894, the palace was confiscated by military forces and incorporated into the Union's assets. The following year, princess Isabel and her husband filed a lawsuit for possession of the palace. In the process, princess Isabel's successors asked for the restitution of the Guanabara Palace and recognition of ownership of the property, so that the palace could be considered part of the Royal Family's estate.
In 1955, Isabel's eight grandchildren filed a new lawsuit, this time claiming ownership of the palace — which made this one differ from the first, since the original was a repossession lawsuit.
In 1967, the first case was considered time-barred by Brazilian courts due to
prescription, but the heirs appealed the decision.
In 1969, the two cases were in the former
Regional Federal Court of Rio de Janeiro. They go hand in hand through the intricate mesh of the courts. And that started a new discussion about whether or not the lawsuits were time-barred. Nine years later, the court was abolished by the 1988 Constitution.
On 6 December 2018, between decisions and appeals of the lawsuit filed in 1895, brought by Princess Isabel, the
Superior Court of Justice judged the oldest case appeal in progress in the country. In the decision, the court decided that the Guanabara Palace belonged to the Union, and not to the imperial family. The case was closed by the
Supreme Federal Court
The Supreme Federal Court ( pt, Supremo Tribunal Federal, , abbreviated STF) is the supreme court (court of last resort) of Brazil, serving primarily as the Constitutional Court of the country. It is the highest court of law in Brazil for consti ...
on 28 August 2020, after 125 years, in favor of the Union.
Gallery
References
{{Reflist
Palaces in Rio de Janeiro (city)
Imperial residences in Brazil