Paço de São Cristóvão (; en, Palace of Saint Christopher; also known as Palácio Imperial or Palácio Imperial de São Cristóvão) was an imperial palace located in the Quinta da Boa Vista park in the Imperial Neighbourhood of São Cristóvão,

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 ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. It served as residence to the Portuguese Royal Family and later to 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 ...

until 1889, when the country became a republic through a

coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...

deposing

Emperor Pedro II Dom PedroII (2 December 1825 – 5 December 1891), nicknamed "the Magnanimous" ( pt, O Magnânimo), was the second and last monarch of the Empire of Brazil, reigning for over 58 years. He was born in Rio de Janeiro, the seventh child of Empe ...

. The palace briefly served as a public building by the

provisional government A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, or a transitional government, is an emergency governmental authority set up to manage a political transition generally in the cases of a newly formed state or f ...

for the constituent assembly of the first republican constitution. It housed the major part (92.5%) of the collections of the National Museum of Brazil, which, together with the building, were largely destroyed by a fire on 2 September 2018.

History

Background

In the 16th and 17th centuries, the area where the Palace is currently located, was part of a

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

farm in the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. With the expulsion of the Order in 1759, the property was dismembered and passed into private ownership. In the early 19th century, the area known as ''Quinta da Boa Vista'' (Good View Estate), because could be seen from there the Tijuca Forest, the Corcovado Hill and the Cajú Beach, belonged to the Portuguese-Lebanese

slave Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

merchant A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as indust ...

, ''Elie Antun Lubbus'', (''Elias Antônio Lopes'' in

Portuguese language Portuguese ( or, in full, ) is a western Romance language of the Indo-European language family, originating in the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. It is an official language of Portugal, Brazil, Cape Verde, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau and ...

), who had erected, around 1803, a

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...

on top of a hill, from which one had a good view of the Guanabara Bay – which gave rise to the current name of region. When the Portuguese court was transferred to Brazil, in 1808, Elias António Lopes donated his farm to the

prince regent A prince regent or princess regent is a prince or princess who, due to their position in the line of succession, rules a monarchy as regent in the stead of a monarch regnant, e.g., as a result of the sovereign's incapacity (minority or illness ...

John VI. John VI appreciated the gift and stayed for long periods in the manor house. Before belonging to the monarchy, the residence had nothing special. It was just one of many colonial-style mansions scattered throughout the country. With the arrival of John VI to Brazil, who had left Lisbon fleeing Napoleon in 1808, countless houses in Rio were expropriated to house the Portuguese of the royal entourage. Before his Quinta da Boa Vista was confiscated, the merchant Elias Antônio Lopes hastened to donate it to the king. In thanks for his mime, João VI granted Lopes titles of nobility and a fat indemnity. The mansion underwent countless renovations over the decades. An imposing masonry and cast iron gate was set there. It was built a side tower in

Moorish style Moorish Revival or Neo-Moorish is one of the exotic revival architectural styles that were adopted by architects of Europe and the Americas in the wake of Romanticist Orientalism. It reached the height of its popularity after the mid-19th centu ...

. There was a semicircular staircase to enter the residence on the second floor. Later, another tower rose, at the opposite end, in neoclassical style. The ladder was destroyed, and the entrance turned to the first floor. The third floor was built. The Moorish tower was rebuilt, which became also neoclassical. The purpose of the changes was to leave the Palace of São Cristóvão to the height of the power of the Brazilian Empire. In 1847, Parliament approved a government bill that would allocate 240 contos de reis to the completion of the reforms. The works seemed to have no end. For Senator ''Clemente Pereira (PA)'', Pedro II had to leave Sao Cristóvão, Pereira's proposal was approved, but the government did not even design a new imperial palace.

Royal residence

Prince Regent John and his family had been living in the Paço Imperial since their arrival in Rio de Janeiro in 1808. The prince regent felt very honored by Elias's gift of the best house in Rio and rewarded Elias with another property, not quite as grand. He began transforming the manor into a royal residence. At the time, the area of the farm was still surrounded by mangroves and communication by land with the city was difficult. Later, the wetlands were drained and the roads improved. To better accommodate the royal family, the manor house, though vast and comfortable, needed to be adapted. The most important renovation was begun at the time of the nuptials of Prince Pedro with the Archduchess Maria Leopoldina of Austria, in 1819, and finished 1821. The renovation was directed by English

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

John Johnston. In front of the palace, Johnston installed a decorative

portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cult ...

, a gift sent from

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

to Brazil by Hugh Percy, 2nd Duke of Northumberland. The gate, inspired by Robert Adams' porch for the "Sion House", the nobleman's residence in England, is shaped in " Coade stone" manufactured by the English company Coade & Sealy. The architectural line of the palace is similar to that of the

Ajuda Palace The Palace of Ajuda ( pt, Palácio da Ajuda, ) is a neoclassical monument in the civil parish of Ajuda in the city of Lisbon, central Portugal. Built on the site of a temporary wooden building constructed to house the Royal family after the 1755 ...

which, left behind in

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

, was never finished. The Palace of São Cristóvão won deserved prominence as the new state palace of the

United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves The United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves was a pluricontinental monarchy formed by the elevation of the Portuguese colony named State of Brazil to the status of a kingdom and by the simultaneous union of that Kingdom of Brazil w ...

and, subsequently, of the

Portuguese Empire The Portuguese Empire ( pt, Império Português), also known as the Portuguese Overseas (''Ultramar Português'') or the Portuguese Colonial Empire (''Império Colonial Português''), was composed of the overseas colonies, factories, and the l ...

Imperial residence

After the declaration of

Independence of Brazil The Independence of Brazil comprised a series of political and military events that led to the independence of the Kingdom of Brazil from the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves as the Brazilian Empire. Most of the events occurre ...

in 1822, the palace became the residence of

Emperor Pedro I Dom Pedro I (English: Peter I; 12 October 1798 – 24 September 1834), nicknamed "the Liberator", was the founder and first ruler of the Empire of Brazil. As King Dom Pedro IV, he reigned briefly over Portugal, where he also became ...

. The remodelling and expansion of the palace continued under Portuguese architect Manuel da Costa (1822–1826), followed by

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

architect Pedro José Pezerát (1826–1831), credited as the author of the definitive Neoclassical project of the building. He added a new tower to the left of the main façade and added a third floor to the palace. The works were continued after 1847 by Brazilian artist

Manuel de Araújo Porto-alegre Manuel may refer to: People * Manuel (name) * Manuel (Fawlty Towers), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers'' * Charlie Manuel, manager of the Philadelphia Phillies * Manuel I Komnenos, emperor of the Byzantine Empire * Manu ...

, who harmonised the style of the façades, followed by the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

Theodore Marx (1857–1868). Italian painter Mario Bragaldi decorated many of the rooms of the palace, including the Throne Room and the Ambassadors' Room, with paintings in '' trompe-l'œil''. After the marriage of Pedro I and Archduchess Maria Leopoldina of Austria in 1817, the Imperial couple resided in the palace. The future Queen of Portugal,

Maria II , image = Queen Maria II by John Simpson.jpg , caption = Portrait by John Simpson, 1835 , succession = Queen of Portugal , reign = , predecessor = Pedro IV , successor = Miguel I , reg-type = Regents , regent ...

, and the future Emperor of Brazil Pedro II were born here. Empress Maria Leopoldina died in the palace in 1826. Pedro II, future Emperor, grew up and was educated in the palace, and in 1869 ordered the remodelling of the gardens. French garden designer

Auguste François Marie Glaziou Auguste François Marie Glaziou (30 August 1828 – 30 March 1906) was a French landscape designer and botanist born in Lannion, Brittany. As a student in Paris, he earned a degree in civil engineering and took classes at the ''Muséum nationa ...

was put in charge of the project, which included artificial lakes, bridges, caves and fake ancient temples, all following the

Romantic Romantic may refer to: Genres and eras * The Romantic era, an artistic, literary, musical and intellectual movement of the 18th and 19th centuries ** Romantic music, of that era ** Romantic poetry, of that era ** Romanticism in science, of that e ...

trend of the time. Pedro II's children were also born in the palace, including Princess Isabel, famous for having abolished

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

from Brazil in 1888. After the Proclamation of the Republic in 1889, the Imperial family left the country and the palace and its surrounding gardens became empty.

Republican period

In 1891, the building was used by Brazilian politicians writing the first Republican Constitution of the country. In 1892, the director of the National Museum of Rio de Janeiro managed to transfer the institution from the Campo de Santana to the palace. The inner decoration of the palace was dispersed, but part of it can still be found in other museums, like the Imperial Museum of

Petrópolis Petrópolis (; ), also known as The Imperial City, is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the Southeast Region, Brazil, Southeast Region of Brazil. It is located in the state of Rio de Janeiro (state), Rio de Janeiro, northeast of the ci ...

, in which the Throne Room was reassembled.

National Museum

Museu Nacional - collaborative upload 78

Founded in 1818 by King John VI of Portugal, the National Museum was transferred to the old Imperial Palace of São Cristóvão in 1892. During its long history, its collections have been greatly expanded by acquisitions and donations, including by

, a great sponsor of the sciences. The collections included

Astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...

(mostly

meteorites A meteorite is a solid piece of debris from an object, such as a comet, asteroid, or meteoroid, that originates in outer space and survives its passage through the atmosphere to reach the surface of a planet or moon. When the original object en ...

Palaeontology Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of fossi ...

, Natural history, Ethnology (including many interesting works by

Brazilian indigenous peoples Indigenous peoples in Brazil ( pt, povos indígenas no Brasil) or Indigenous Brazilians ( pt, indígenas brasileiros, links=no) once comprised an estimated 2000 tribes and nations inhabiting what is now the country of Brazil, before European con ...

) and

Archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

(mostly antiquities from ancient Egypt). Much of the art collection displayed by the Museum still consisted of what was gathered by the Emperor Pedro II himself. In this manner, it reflects 19th-century views of Anthropology, Archeology and sciences in general. Visitors could also see a few rooms of the ancient Palace with its original painted and

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...

decoration, like the Throne Room, the Ambassadors' Room and the room of Empress Teresa Cristina. These rooms still displayed a couple original pieces but were overall empty. On 2 September 2018, the palace was devastated by an extensive fire. The damage to heritage assets have been reported to be "incalculable". One of the few known surviving major artifacts is the

Bendegó meteorite The Bendegó Meteorite (also known as Pedra do Bendegó or simply Bendengó) is a meteorite found in the interior of the state of Bahia, Brazil. It is the biggest iron meteorite ever found in Brazilian soil, weighting . It has been on display at ...

. After the fire, a metallic roof covering 5,000 m² upper the debris was built.

Gallery

Historic timeline of construction

File:PalaceSaoCristovao.jpg, Palace in the early 19th century, before the Neoclassical intervention File:Palace of Sao Cristovao between 1835 and 1840.jpg, 1835-1840 - Painting of the Imperial Palace File:Jean-Baptiste Debret - Vista do Paço de São Cristovão.jpg, 1768–1848 - Antique illustration of the palace, by

Jean-Baptiste Debret Jean-Baptiste Debret (; 18 April 1768 – 28 June 1848) was a French painter, who produced many valuable lithographs depicting the people of Brazil. Debret won the second prize at the 1798 Salon des Beaux Arts. Biography Debret studied at th ...

File:Frond, Cicéri - Palácio Imperial da Quinta da Boa Vista.jpg, 1858 - 1861 File:Paço de São Cristóvão, RJ (38979393230).jpg, The Palace in the end of the 19th century File:QuintaBoaVista1.jpg, The Imperial Palace after the Neoclassical intervention - modern days - old rosa paint File:Fire at Museu Nacional 05.jpg, The palace in flames during the night of 2 September 2018, leaving it in ruin

Exterior before the 2018 fire

File:Quinta da Boa Vista 01.jpg, Gates of the former main entrance File:Museu Nacional - UFRJ Entrada.jpg, Ancient

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

File:Quinta da Boa Vista 10.jpg, Former Imperial Palace File:Fachada Museu Nacional - UFRJ - Foco.jpg, Facade File:Quinta da Boa Vista 12.jpg, The palace seen from the garden File:Fachada Museu Nacional - UFRJ.jpg, Side front view File:Museu Nacional - UFRJ - Fachada - Detalhe.jpg, Central view File:Museu Nacional - collaborative upload 152.jpg, Front

Door A door is a hinged or otherwise movable barrier that allows ingress (entry) into and egress (exit) from an enclosure. The created opening in the wall is a ''doorway'' or ''portal''. A door's essential and primary purpose is to provide security b ...

s File:Quinta da Boa Vista 13.jpg, Detail of one of the doors

Interior before the 2018 fire

File:Museu Nacional - UFRJ - Detalhe Teto.jpg,

Ceiling A ceiling is an overhead interior surface that covers the upper limits of a room. It is not generally considered a structural element, but a finished surface concealing the underside of the roof structure or the floor of a story above. Ceilings ...

detail before the restoration File:Museu Nacional, UFRJ - Quinta da Boa Vista 10.jpg, Internal details File:Museu Nacional da UFRJ - Quinta da Boa Vista no Rio de Janeiro, Brasil 8.jpg, Walls and ceiling File:Museu Nacional da UFRJ - Quinta da Boa Vista no Rio de Janeiro, Brasil 9.jpg, Ceiling File:Museu Nacional - collaborative upload 164.jpg, Ceiling File:Museu Nacional - collaborative upload 67.jpg, Ceiling File:Museu Nacional da UFRJ - Quinta da Boa Vista no Rio de Janeiro, Brasil 6.jpg, Ceiling File:퀸타 다 보아비스타 20.jpg, Ceiling File:퀸타 다 보아비스타 15.jpg, Ceiling File:Museu Nacional - UFRJ - Exp Sala.jpg, Room File:P 20170503 112251.jpg,

Throne A throne is the seat of state of a potentate or dignitary, especially the seat occupied by a sovereign on state occasions; or the seat occupied by a pope or bishop on ceremonial occasions. "Throne" in an abstract sense can also refer to the monar ...

Dom Pedro Dom Pedro (''Lord Peter'') is the traditional Portuguese appellation of several kings of Portugal: * Peter I of Portugal * Peter II of Portugal * Peter III of Portugal * Pedro IV of Portugal * Pedro V of Portugal and of the two 19th-century Emperors ...

File:퀸타 다 보아비스타 18.jpg, The former Throne Room File:Sala do Trono - Museu Nacional 03.jpg, Throne Room details

Grounds

File:Maria Leopoldina com Maria da Glória e Pedro de Alcântara no colo - Quinta da Boa Vista.jpg, Statue of Empress Leopoldina with her children File:Quinta da Boa Vista 20.jpg, Monument to Emperor Pedro II in front of the palace File:Quinta da Boa Vista 04.jpg, ''Canto das Sereias'' sculpture by

Nicolina Vaz de Assis Nicolina Vaz de Assis Pinto do Couto (Campinas, 1874 – Rio de Janeiro, 1941) was a Brazilian sculptor. Early life She began her studies at the Museu Nacional de Belas Artes in Rio de Janeiro , where she entered in 1897, and studied under Pr ...

File:Quinta da Boa Vista 08.jpg, Quinta's bandstand, known as the Chinese pagoda File:Guarda-corpo IV da Ponte da Quinta da Boa Vista - Rio de Janeiro - 20220909155553.jpg, "Temple of Apollo" after restoration work in 2022 File:퀸타 다 보아비스타 08.jpg, Street File:Museu Nacional - collaborative upload 76.jpg, Aerial File:Museu Nacional - collaborative upload 130.jpg, Internal Garden File:Museu Nacional da UFRJ - Quinta da Boa Vista no Rio de Janeiro, Brasil 11.jpg, Garden Fountain File:Museu Nacional da UFRJ - Quinta da Boa Vista no Rio de Janeiro, Brasil 13.jpg, Park File:Quinta da Boa Vista 03.jpg, Quinta da Boa Vista park lake File:Quinta da Boa Vista 02.jpg, Lake and the palace in the background File:Quinta da Boa Vista 05.jpg, Palace grounds File:Quinta da Boa Vista 07.jpg, Kayaking File:Museu Nacional RJ Brazil.jpg, Trees File:Museu Nacional da UFRJ - Quinta da Boa Vista no Rio de Janeiro, Brasil 12.jpg, Vegetation File:Museu Nacional - Rio de Janeiro - 20220909143821.jpg, Fire-damaged facade of the palace completely restored, September 2022. View from the new garden

Investigations

The fire that destroyed the National Museum began in the

air-conditioning Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C or AC, is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior environment (sometimes referred to as 'comfort cooling') and in some cases also strictly controlling ...

equipment of

auditorium An auditorium is a room built to enable an audience to hear and watch performances. For movie theatres, the number of auditoria (or auditoriums) is expressed as the number of screens. Auditoria can be found in entertainment venues, community ...

on the ground floor. One of the three devices did not have external grounding, there was no individual circuit breaker for each of them and a

wire Overhead power cabling. The conductor consists of seven strands of steel (centre, high tensile strength), surrounded by four outer layers of aluminium (high conductivity). Sample diameter 40 mm A wire is a flexible strand of metal. Wire is c ...

was without

insulation Insulation may refer to: Thermal * Thermal insulation, use of materials to reduce rates of heat transfer ** List of insulation materials ** Building insulation, thermal insulation added to buildings for comfort and energy efficiency *** Insulated ...

in contact with metal.

References

Quinta da Boa Vista e Paço de São Cristóvão
Rio de Janeiro Aqui. Retrieved on 2009-07-04.

External links

National Museum of Brazil
official website {{DEFAULTSORT:Paco De Sao Cristovao Neoclassical architecture in Brazil Palaces in Rio de Janeiro (city) Houses completed in 1862 Sao Cristovao, Paco de National Museum of Brazil Burned buildings and structures in Brazil Collapsed buildings and structures Building collapses in 2018