Santa Teresa () is the name of a neighborhood in the city 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 ...
,
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 is located on top of the Santa Teresa hill, by the centre of Rio, and is famous for its winding, narrow streets which are a favourite spot for artists and tourists.
The neighborhood originated around the ''Santa Teresa Convent'', built in the 1750s on the ''Desterro'' hill. At the end of the 19th and early 20th century it was an upper class borough, as testified by its many opulent villas. Santa Teresa ceased being an upper-class neighbourhood long ago, but it has been revived as a fashionable hotspot. It is home to several artists and art
studios and
galleries. The offer of restaurants and bars is also varied.
One of Santa Teresa's most illustrious inhabitants was , an art collector who lived in his ''Chácara do Céu'' mansion in the neighborhood. The estate was turned into a museum (''Museu da Chácara do Céu'') and its exhibits include works by
Matisse
Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a drawing, draughtsman, printmaking, printmaker, and sculptur ...
,
Jean Metzinger
Jean Dominique Antony Metzinger (; 24 June 1883 – 3 November 1956) was a major 20th-century French painter, theorist, writer, critic and poet, who along with Albert Gleizes wrote the first theoretical work on Cubism. His earliest works, from 1 ...
,
,
Di Cavalcanti
Emiliano Augusto Cavalcanti de Albuquerque Melo (September 6, 1897 – October 26, 1976), known as Di Cavalcanti, was a Brazilian painter who sought to produce a form of Brazilian art free of any noticeable European influences. His wife was the p ...
, and
Candido Portinari
Candido Portinari (December 29, 1903 – February 6, 1962) was a Brazilian painter. He is considered one of the most important Brazilian painters as well as a prominent and influential practitioner of the neo-realism style in painting.
Portinari ...
. It is located near the cultural center
Parque das Ruínas. In 2006, some paintings were stolen, and have not yet been recovered.
Another museum is the ''Museu do Bonde'', which tells the history of the famous
Santa Teresa Tram since its historic origins. A ride on the tram is a popular attraction among tourists. It sports crossing the old
Carioca Aqueduct
The Carioca Aqueduct ( pt, Aqueduto da Carioca), also known as Arcos da Lapa, is an aqueduct in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The aqueduct was built in the middle of the 18th century to bring fresh water from the Carioca River to the popul ...
, going through picturesque streets of the Santa Teresa neighbourhood and wonderful views of the city downhill.
History
Santa Teresa Convent
The neighborhood arose in the 1750s on the '' Morro Desterro'' ("Right Hill"), emerging from the eponymous Catholic
convent
A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglic ...
. It was one of Rio de Janeiro's first expansions out of the initial Portuguese settlement in the city center. Initially inhabited by the upper class of the time, several houses and
mansions
A mansion is a large dwelling house. The word itself derives through Old French from the Latin word ''mansio'' "dwelling", an abstract noun derived from the verb ''manere'' "to dwell". The English word ''manse'' originally defined a property la ...
were built, inspired by French architecture of the time, many of which are standing today. All throughout its history, Santa Teresa received many
European immigrants.
Around 1850 many people, fleeing the
yellow fever
Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. ...
epidemic in the city, flocked to the neighborhood. As it was at a higher altitude, Santa Teresa was less affected by the epidemic than the surrounding neighborhoods.
Santa Teresa tram
In 1872, a
tram
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...
line was constructed to connect Santa Teresa to downtown Rio de Janeiro, which further advanced the access to the neighborhood. The tram ran up the streets of ''Rua Joaquim Murtinho'' and ''Rua Almirante Alexandrino'', crossing the
Carioca Aqueduct
The Carioca Aqueduct ( pt, Aqueduto da Carioca), also known as Arcos da Lapa, is an aqueduct in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The aqueduct was built in the middle of the 18th century to bring fresh water from the Carioca River to the popul ...
. Initially, the tramcars were drawn by
mules, before electric tramcars replaced the
mule- or horse-drawn trams in 1896. The tramcars' colours ranged from green to silver and blue, but came to be painted bright yellow after complaints from residents who said that the tram "disappeared" amid the greenery of the neighborhood. The iconic yellow trams – or ''bondes'' in
Brazilian Portuguese
Brazilian Portuguese (' ), also Portuguese of Brazil (', ) or South American Portuguese (') is the set of varieties of the Portuguese language native to Brazil and the most influential form of Portuguese worldwide. It is spoken by almost all of ...
– have become a symbol of Santa Teresa.
By means of organized demonstrations, residents were able to preserve the historic tram system by convincing the government to release funds for the streetcars. After an accident with a tram in 2011 that killed five people, all service on the tram line was suspended for four years, in order to modernize the system.
['']Tramways & Urban Transit
''Tramways & Urban Transit'' ''(TAUT'' or ''T&UT)'', also known as ''Modern Tramway'', is a British monthly magazine about tramways and light rail transport, published continuously since 1938. Its content is orientated both to tramway enthusi ...
'' magazine, October 2015, p. 413. LRTA Publishing (UK). Newly built, replica-vintage tramcars in the same style as the old fleet were acquired, and the line was rebuilt and reopened in stages starting in 2015. It was restored to its full length of in January 2019.
Revitalization
Over time, Santa Teresa lost its status as an upscale neighborhood, like many of the historic districts of Rio's
South zone. In recent years however, it has become a district of cultural interest because of its architectural value and prime location. In 2009 the city council started a
gentrification
Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more affluent residents and businesses. It is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and planning. Gentrification often increases the ec ...
program to revitalize the neighborhood. Walls were built to stop the surrounding
favela
Favela () is an umbrella name for several types of working-class neighborhoods in Brazil. The term was first used in the Providência neighborhood in the center of Rio de Janeiro in the late 19th century, which was built by soldiers who had ...
s from growing; and taxes were imposed on water, energy and gas supply in order to decrease the number of poor people.
Culture
Traditionally Santa Teresa is a renowned gathering place for
intellectual
An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and reflection about the reality of society, and who proposes solutions for the normative problems of society. Coming from the world of culture, either as a creator or a ...
s,
academic
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...
s, artists and politicians, who are attracted by its historic character, cultural life and standard of living. Due to this profile, it is a former district of opinion with political participation in popular movements. There are also a large number of
NGOs
A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in ...
who provide services and support to the favelas located around Santa Teresa.
Santa Teresa is also a vibrant
gastronomic center, mainly around the Largo do Guimarães, as well as an artistic center. Due to the large number of artists and art studios, the neighborhood has come to be called ''Rio's
Montmartre
Montmartre ( , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Right Bank. The historic district established by the City of Paris in 1995 is bordered by Rue Ca ...
''. The
bohemian
Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to:
*Anything of or relating to Bohemia
Beer
* National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst
* Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors
Culture and arts
* Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...
lifestyle has contributed to Santa Teresa being a main tourist attraction of Rio de Janeiro, as well as its recognition as one of the most unique neighborhoods in the world in 2016.
The neighborhood, affectionately called ''"Santa"'' by locals, is composed of several steep staircases, slopes, cobbled roads and tortuous alleys, which provide the character of the neighborhood. These sloping roads connect Santa Teresa to the surrounding districts of
Centro
Centro may refer to:
Places Brazil
*Centro, Santa Maria, a neighborhood in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
* Centro, Porto Alegre, a neighborhood of Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
*Centro (Duque de Caxias), a neighborhood of Duq ...
,
Glória,
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 th ...
,
Fátima,
Cosme Velho
Cosme Velho is a neighborhood in the South Zone of Rio de Janeiro, adjacent to Laranjeiras. Its main street is ''Rua Cosme Velho'', an extension of ''Rua das Laranjeiras''. Cosme Velho is frequently visited by tourists.
The ''Estação de Ferro ...
,
Catumbi,
Catete and
Rio Comprido. At the highest point of Santa Teresa, which gives access to
Tijuca National Park and
Corcovado
Corcovado (korcovádo) which means "hunchback" in Portuguese, is a mountain in central Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is a 710-metre (2,329 ft) granite peak located in the Tijuca Forest, a national park.
Corcovado hill lies just west of the c ...
, there is a broad panoramic view of the city.
Education
The
("Civil Association of Japanese Educational and Cultural Dissemination of Rio de Janeiro", known in Japanese as the "Rio de Janeiro Japanese School"), a
Japanese international day school, was previously located in Santa Teresa. It is now located in
Cosme Velho
Cosme Velho is a neighborhood in the South Zone of Rio de Janeiro, adjacent to Laranjeiras. Its main street is ''Rua Cosme Velho'', an extension of ''Rua das Laranjeiras''. Cosme Velho is frequently visited by tourists.
The ''Estação de Ferro ...
.
[学校紹介]
." ''Associação Civil de Divulgação Cultural e Educacional Japonesa do Rio de Janeiro''. Retrieved on March 18, 2014. "Rua Cosme Velho,1166,Cosme Velho RIO DE JANEIRO,R.J,BRASIL,CEP22241-091"
Principal roads
Panorama
References
External links
{{Authority control
Neighbourhoods in Rio de Janeiro (city)