Sé is the name of the most central borough in the city of

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaW ...

, 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 ...

, divided in eight districts. The name comes from the presence of

São Paulo Cathedral The São Paulo Metropolitan Cathedral ( pt, Catedral Metropolitana de São Paulo), also known as the See Cathedral ( pt, Catedral da Sé), is the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of São Paulo, Brazil. Its current and seventh Metro ...

(''Catedral da Sé'') in the borough, and it is also the name of the central square (

Praça da Sé Praça da Sé (English: '' See Square'') is a public space in São Paulo, Brazil. Considered as the city's central point, it is the point from where the distance of all roads passing through São Paulo are counted. The square was the location of ma ...

). Also located in the Sé are the

Pátio do Colégio Pátio do Colégio (in Portuguese ''School Yard'', written in the archaic orthography ''Pateo do Collegio'') is the name given to the historical Jesuit church and school in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. The name is also used to refer to the squ ...

, site of the foundation of the city in 1554, the São Paulo stock exchange (the

Bovespa B3 S.A. - Brasil, Bolsa, Balcão (in English, ''B3 - Brazil Stock Exchange and Over-the-Counter Market''), formerly BM&FBOVESPA, is a stock exchange located in São Paulo, Brazil, and the second oldest of the country. Its current form can be trac ...

), the mayor's palace and other historical buildings, including the Municipal Theater of São Paulo, the São Paulo Music Hall (

Sala São Paulo The Júlio Prestes Cultural Center, which is located in the Júlio Prestes Train Station in the old north central section of the city of São Paulo, Brazil, was inaugurated on July 9, 1999. The building has been restored and renovated by the ...

) and the central railway Luz Station ( Estação da Luz). Immigrant groups established in the Sé borough include

Italians , flag = , flag_caption = The national flag of Italy , population = , regions = Italy 55,551,000 , region1 = Brazil , pop1 = 25–33 million , ref1 = , region2 ...

(in

Bela Vista Bela Vista (also known as ''Bexiga'' or ''Bixiga'') is one of the most traditional Italian neighborhoods in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. It belongs to the borough of Sé, and it has been a mixed neighborhood since its beginning, where free ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

ese (in Liberdade), and

Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

(in Bom Retiro). Sé is also the borough with the largest number of subway stations. There are many areas of popular commerce, like the 25 de Março Street (one of the most popular area of commerce in Brazil, though often illegal), and high-class areas such as Pacaembu and Higienópolis. The famous Paulista Avenue (Avenida Paulista) is the southwest limit of this borough, with the borough of

Pinheiros Pinheiros (, “pine trees”) is a district in the subprefecture of the same name in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. Prior to development, the land which this borough occupies was dominated by the dense forest which contained a Brazilian su ...

. The neighbourhood (and the later city) has developed between the three ancient churches of

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Our Lady of Mount Carmel, or Virgin of Carmel, is the title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary in her role as patroness of the Carmelite Order, particularly within the Catholic Church. The first Carmelites were Christian hermits living on Mount Ca ...

, Saint Benedict and

Saint Francis of Assisi Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, better known as Saint Francis of Assisi ( it, Francesco d'Assisi; – 3 October 1226), was a mystic Italian Catholic friar, founder of the Franciscans, and one of the most venerated figures in Christianit ...

(which part of it was expropriated by Emperor Pedro II for the establishment of the Law School). This borough is also an important college center with the very traditional Law School of the

University of São Paulo The University of São Paulo ( pt, Universidade de São Paulo, USP) is a public university in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. It is the largest Brazilian public university and the country's most prestigious educational institution, the bes ...

and Mackenzie University, founded by North American Presbyterian missionaries in the 19th century.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Se (Sao Paulo) Districts of São Paulo