Santo Amaro, also known as Santo Amaro da Purificação (), is a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
in the state of
Bahia
Bahia ( , , ; meaning "bay") is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (sta ...
in
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 ...
. The population is 60,131 (2020 est.) in an area of . It is located in the
metropolitan area
A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually com ...
of Salvador. Santo Amaro is located approximately from the city of
Salvador
Salvador, meaning "salvation" (or "saviour") in Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese may refer to:
* Salvador (name)
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
*Salvador (band), a Christian band that plays both English and Spanish music
** ''Salvador'' ( ...
. Santo Amaro was home to numerous indigenous peoples until the arrival of the Portuguese, who developed the region for sugarcane production. Santo Amaro is now noted for its numerous historic structures. The city is also a center of
Candomblé
Candomblé () is an African diasporic religion that developed in Brazil during the 19th century. It arose through a process of syncretism between several of the traditional religions of West Africa, especially that of the Yoruba, and the Roman ...
, having more than 60 ''terreiros'', or temples of the religion.
History
Santo Amaro was home to
Caeté
Caeté is a Brazilian municipality located in the state of Minas Gerais. The city belongs to the mesoregion Metropolitana de Belo Horizonte and to the microregion of Belo Horizonte.
The name ''Caeté'' is derived from the local term for some Mar ...
,
Pitiguaras
The Potiguara (also Potyguara or Pitiguara) are an indigenous people of Brazil. The Potiguara people live in Paraíba, in the municipalities of Marcação, Baía da Traição and Rio Tinto. Their population numbers sixteen thousand individual ...
, and
Carijós peoples prior to the
Portuguese colonization of Brazil. The region became an early center of sugarcane production under the Portuguese, with settlements primarily along the
Subaé River. It, along with
Cachoeira
Cachoeira (Portuguese, meaning waterfall) is an inland municipality of Bahia, Brazil, on the Paraguaçu River. The town exports sugar, cotton, and tobacco and is a thriving commercial and industrial centre.
The municipality contains 56% of the B ...
and Nazaré, became early regional urban and economic centers of the Recôncavo region. Santo Amaro was part of the municipality of
São Francisco do Conde
São Francisco do Conde is a municipality in the state of Bahia in the North-East region of Brazil. São Francisco do Conde covers , and has a population of 40,245 with a population density of 150 inhabitants per square kilometer. It is located f ...
until 1727.
The city has numerous historic structures as a result of its colonial past, most notably the
Parish Church of Our Lady of Purification
The Parish Church of Our Lady of Purification ( pt, Igreja Matriz de Nossa Senhora da Purificação) is an 18th-century Roman Catholic church located in Santo Amaro, Bahia, Brazil. The church is dedicated to Blessed Virgin Mary and belongs to the ...
(''Igreja Matriz Santo Amaro da Purificação''). Other historic structures include the remains of the mansions of former sugar barons and a municipal palace built in 1769. The area is noted for its nearby beaches, the Falls of Vitória, and the
grotto
A grotto is a natural or artificial cave used by humans in both modern times and antiquity, and historically or prehistorically. Naturally occurring grottoes are often small caves near water that are usually flooded or often flooded at high ti ...
of Bom Jesus dos Pobres.
The town features prominently in the novel ''
The War of the Saints
''The War of the Saints'' (Portuguese: ''O Sumiço da Santa'') is a Brazilian Modernist novel by Jorge Amado first published in 1988. An English translation by Gregory Rabassa appeared in 1993.
The novel
The novel, which takes place within ...
'' by
Jorge Amado
Jorge Leal Amado de Faria (10 August 1912 – 6 August 2001) was a Brazilian writer of the modernist school. He remains the best known of modern Brazilian writers, with his work having been translated into some 49 languages and popularized in ...
.
Epidemic of 1855
A cholera epidemic occurred in 1855, killing approximately 50,000 in Santo Amaro and in
Salvador
Salvador, meaning "salvation" (or "saviour") in Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese may refer to:
* Salvador (name)
Arts, entertainment, and media Music
*Salvador (band), a Christian band that plays both English and Spanish music
** ''Salvador'' ( ...
. Half of the population of Santo Amaro was lost. Doctor
Cypriano Barbosa Bettâmio died leading efforts to combat the disease.
Geography
Santo Amaro covers and borders the municipalities of
Conceição do Jacuípe,
Amélia Rodrigues,
Feira de Santana
Feira de Santana (; Portuguese language, Portuguese for "Saint Anne's Fair") is a city in Bahia, Brazil. It is the second-most populous city in the state, with a population of 619,609 according to Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, ...
,
São Sebastião do Passé, São Francisco do Conde,
Saubara
Saubara is a Municipalities of Brazil, municipality in the states of Brazil, state of Bahia in the Nordeste, North-East region of Brazil.
See also
*List of municipalities in Bahia
References
Populated coastal places in Bahia
Municipalit ...
,
Cachoeira
Cachoeira (Portuguese, meaning waterfall) is an inland municipality of Bahia, Brazil, on the Paraguaçu River. The town exports sugar, cotton, and tobacco and is a thriving commercial and industrial centre.
The municipality contains 56% of the B ...
, and
São Gonçalo dos Campos
São Gonçalo dos Campos is a municipality in the state of Bahia in the North-East region of Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and L ...
.
Subaé River
The Subaé River runs through much of the municipality to the
Bay of All Saints
The Bay of All Saints ( pt, Baía de Todos os Santos), also known as All Saints' Bay and Todos os Santos Bay, is the principal bay of the Brazilian state of Bahia, to which it gave its name. It sits on the eastern coast of Brazil, surrounding pa ...
. Scientists discovered large-scale lead, cadmium, and zinc pollution in the river in 1975, caused by industrial output from a factory owned by the Brazilian Lead Company (Cobrac). The factory operated from 1960 to 1993, but high levels of lead exposure remain among many segments of the population of the municipality.
Religion
According to the
Brazilian Census of 2010, Santo Amaro is 77% Roman Catholic, 22% Evangelical, and 1%
Spiritist. The statistics do not take into account
Candomblé
Candomblé () is an African diasporic religion that developed in Brazil during the 19th century. It arose through a process of syncretism between several of the traditional religions of West Africa, especially that of the Yoruba, and the Roman ...
practitioners. Santo Amaro has both a large number of Candomblé
terreiros (60) and a long tradition of
religious syncretism between Candomblé and Roman Catholicism.
Historic structures
Santo Amaro is home to numerous colonial-period historic structures, many designated as Brazilian national and Bahian state monuments.
*
Church of Our Lady of Protection (''Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Amparo'')
*
Parish Church of Our Lady of Purification
The Parish Church of Our Lady of Purification ( pt, Igreja Matriz de Nossa Senhora da Purificação) is an 18th-century Roman Catholic church located in Santo Amaro, Bahia, Brazil. The church is dedicated to Blessed Virgin Mary and belongs to the ...
(''Igreja Matriz de Nossa Senhora da Purificação'')
*
Retreat and Church of Our Lady of Humility (''Recolhimento e Igreja de Nossa Senhora dos Humildes'')
*
Town Hall and Prison (''Casa de Câmara e Cadeia'')
*
Santa Casa de Misericórdia of Santo Amaro
*
Igreja de Nossa Senhora de Oliveira dos Campinhos
"Igreja" ("Church") is a single by Brazilian rock band Titãs, released in 1986, part of their ''Cabeça Dinossauro'' album.
Lyrics and composition
According to songwriter and then bassist and vocalist Nando Reis, the song was written on the ac ...
*
Solar do Conde de Subaé
*
Solar Paraíso
*
House at Rua da Matriz, no. 9
The House at Rua da Matriz, no. 9 ( pt, Casa da Praça Rodrigues Lima, nº 105) is a historic residence in Santo Amaro, Bahia, Brazil. It is also known as the House at the Praça da Purificação, 9 ( pt, Sobrado à Praça da Purificação, 9) or ...
(''Sobrado à Rua da Purificação, nº 9'')
*
Bembé do Mercado
Notable residents
* Siblings
Caetano Veloso
Caetano Emanuel Viana Teles Veloso (; born 7 August 1942) is a Brazilian composer, singer, guitarist, writer, and political activist. Veloso first became known for his participation in the Brazilian musical movement Tropicalismo, which encomp ...
(1942-) and
Maria Bethânia
Maria Bethânia Viana Teles Veloso (; born 18 June 1946) is a Brazilian singer and songwriter. Born in Santo Amaro, Bahia, she started her career in Rio de Janeiro in 1964 with the show "Opinião" ("Opinion"). Due to its popularity, with performa ...
(1946-), both singers and songwriters, were born in Santo Amaro and lived there until moving to Salvador at the ages of 17 and 13 respectively.
References
{{Authority control
Populated coastal places in Bahia
Former Portuguese colonies
Municipalities in Bahia
Santo Amaro, Bahia