The Palácio Antônio Lemos (originally called "Palacete Azul", or "Casa no Largo do Palácio"), also called the Belém Art Museum, is a public building,
palace
A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...
,
museum
A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...
, and the
city hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...
of
Belém
Belém (; Portuguese for Bethlehem; initially called Nossa Senhora de Belém do Grão-Pará, in English Our Lady of Bethlehem of Great Pará), often called Belém of Pará, is the capital and largest city of the state of Pará in the north of B ...
, built in 1860 by José da Gama Abreu, in the context of the rubber cycle. It is located in the
Cidade Velha
Cidade Velha (, Portuguese for "old city", also: ''Santiago de Cabo Verde'') is a cityMuseum of the Art of Belém (MABE).{{cite web, access-date=2022-01-20, title=Palacete Azul (Belém, PA), url=http://portal.iphan.gov.br/ans.net/tema_consulta.asp?Linha=tc_hist.gif&Cod=1476, website=portal.iphan.gov.br, archive-date=2022-01-17, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220117164552/http://portal.iphan.gov.br/ans.net/tema_consulta.asp?Linha=tc_hist.gif&Cod=1476, url-status=dead
History
Initially, it was called Palacete Azul ("Blue Palace"), due to the color of its
façade
A façade or facade (; ) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loanword from the French language, French (), which means "frontage" or "face".
In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important asp ...
, and was renamed in the 1950s in honor of Antônio Lemos, the capital's
intendant
An intendant (; ; ) was, and sometimes still is, a public official, especially in France, Spain, Portugal, and Latin America. The intendancy system was a centralizing administrative system developed in France. In the War of the Spanish Success ...
in the period 1897–1911, who was responsible for the city's
urbanization
Urbanization (or urbanisation in British English) is the population shift from Rural area, rural to urban areas, the corresponding decrease in the proportion of people living in rural areas, and the ways in which societies adapt to this change. ...
and modernization process.
In 1860, it was designed by José da Gama Abreu, in the late
neoclassical style
Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassici ...
. In 1883 it received an enlargement and modifications by Antonio Landi. Again in 1911, the intendant Antonio Lemos added coverings,
furniture
Furniture refers to objects intended to support various human activities such as seating (e.g., Stool (seat), stools, chairs, and sofas), eating (table (furniture), tables), storing items, working, and sleeping (e.g., beds and hammocks). Furnitur ...
, and objects according to
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
an fashion, signed by masters such as Capranesi, De Angelis, and Teodoro Braga, rivaling
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...
and
São Paulo
São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...
.
Historical heritage
The palace is protected by the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage (
IPHAN
The National Historic and Artistic Heritage Institute (, IPHAN) is a heritage register of the federal government of Brazil. It is responsible for the preservation of buildings, monuments, structures, objects and sites, as well as the register and ...
Historic site
A historic site or heritage site is an official location where pieces of political, military, cultural, or social history have been preserved due to their cultural heritage value. Historic sites are usually protected by law, and many have been re ...
*
History of Belém
The History of Belém refers to the history of this Brazilian municipality in the North Region, Brazil, Northern Region of the country, the capital of the state of Pará, which had its origins in the 17th century in the indigenous region of Mairi, ...