Lauro Sodré Palace ( Portuguese: ''Palácio Lauro Sodré''), also called Government Palace (Portuguese: ''Palácio do Governo''), and initially called Residence House (Portuguese: ''Casa de Residência''), is a public building, palace, museum and seat of the state government, built in 1680 and located in the neighborhood of
Cidade Velha
Cidade Velha (, Portuguese for "old city", also: ''Santiago de Cabo Verde'') is a cityBrazilian city 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 ...
, in the state of
Pará
Pará () is a Federative units of Brazil, state of Brazil, located in northern Brazil and traversed by the lower Amazon River. It borders the Brazilian states of Amapá, Maranhão, Tocantins (state), Tocantins, Mato Grosso, Amazonas (Brazilian st ...
.
It was designed in the classical Italian style by the Bolognese architect Antonio Landi, technician of the Kingdom, at the request of the governor of Grão-Pará, Manuel Bernardo Mello de Castro, and inaugurated by the Portuguese colonial administrator João Pereira Caldas to be the headquarters of the Portuguese government as the palace of the governors of the
State of Grão-Pará and Maranhão
The State of Grão-Pará and Maranhão () was one of the states of the Portuguese Empire.
History
The state was created on 31 July 1751 by order of Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, 1st Marquis of Pombal, the Secretary of the State for Jo ...
.
In 1994, during the administration of governor
Jader Barbalho
Jader Fontenelle Barbalho (born 27 October 1944) is a Brazilian politician, businessman and landowner from the state of Pará. He is currently a member of the PMDB party and a Senator for Pará. He is the father of Hélder Barbalho, former may ...
, the palace was transformed into the Pará State Museum (MEP), housing several forms of artistic manifestations, from visual arts exhibitions to video-mapping projections on its facade. It is also called the King's Palace, due to rumors that it was made to house King
Joseph I Joseph I or Josef I may refer to:
*Joseph I of Constantinople, Ecumenical Patriarch in 1266–1275 and 1282–1283
*Joseph I, Holy Roman Emperor (1678–1711)
* Joseph I (Chaldean Patriarch) (reigned 1681–1696)
*Joseph I of Portugal (1750–1777) ...
and the royal family.
History
The palace where the museum is located is a beautiful example of Landi's architecture, and was built to house the seat of the State of Grão-Pará and Maranhão, which had moved from São Luis to Belém, in the 18th century, when the State capital of Brazil was also moving from
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'' ( ...
to
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 ...
.
Construction
In 1754, during the Pombaline period, Friar Miguel de Bulhões, replacing Governor Mendonça Furtado, requested an inspection of the Government Palace, which indicated the need to use propping to prevent it from collapsing. In 1757, unable to remain in the building, the administration of the captaincy reports to the Court the relocation to a rented house. In 1759, Governor Manuel Bernardo Mello de Castro communicates to the Court the situation of the palace and requests an inspection by the Kingdom's technicians, of which the architect Antônio Landi and the engineers Galluzie and Manuel Mendes were part. The commission certifies the state of ruin in which the building was in and suggests its demolition with the use of some tiles and pieces of wood.
The governor then asks Landi for a project of a "decent house without superfluities", stating that the building must not be at great expense, and submits it to the Court. In 1761, still without a reply, the governor addressed the king, sending a new floor plan elaborated by Landi. The first proposal consisted of a drawing with a facade and a cross section. In the cross section are identified: an entrance
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 cu ...
with an upper terrace behind the facade, a main access atrium with vaulted roof and a staircase developed in a vaulted space. The facade, horizontal and symmetrical, shows two floors and an exposed roof with eaves, set on a
cornice
In architecture, a cornice (from the Italian ''cornice'' meaning "ledge") is generally any horizontal decorative Moulding (decorative), moulding that crowns a building or furniture element—for example, the cornice over a door or window, ar ...
. The second project shows a floor plan, the main facade, identical to the previous project, and a longitudinal section. In this version, the floor plan shows a central inner courtyard, surrounded by arcades in the Italian cortile style.
With the project's approval, Captain-General Fernando da Costa Athaide Teive asked Landi for a new project with more "impact" so that the house could be up to the level of the governors and captains who lived there. Faced with such a request, in 1767, the project was reformulated aiming at the large scale that is presented until today.
In 1768, construction began under the direction of the mason Jerônimo da Silva. It was necessary to purchase three adjacent lots for the building to achieve the desired size. The work on the palace was completed in 1771, but it was only occupied the following year by João Pereira Caldas.
The palace was modified over the years, but the structure remained the same. After the proclamation of the republic, there was a movement to remove symbols that marked the monarchy, so the building was redecorated in the republican manner and received its current name in honor of Governor
Lauro Sodré
Lauro is a town and ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Avellino, Campania, southern Italy. It is located in lower Irpinia, in a woody valley. Sights include the remains of a 1st-century BC Roman ''thermae
In ancient Rome, (from ...
, the first after the proclamation.
Cabanagem
On January 6, 1835, led by Antônio Vinagre, the rebels stormed the government palace in Belém, where they remained in control until 1837, when they abandoned the city and fled to the interior of Pará to continue fighting.
Siqueira Mendes Street Siqueira is a Portuguese surname. Notable people with the surname include:
* Cláudio Roberto Siqueira Fernandes Brazilian footballer
* Guilherme Siqueira Brazilian footballer
*Luciano Siqueira de Oliveira
Luciano Siqueira de Oliveira (born 3 ...
Antônio Lemos Palace
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, museum, and the city hall of Belém, built in 1860 by José da Gama Abreu, in the c ...
National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage
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 an ...
(IPHAN), located on Portugal Avenue, next to the headquarters of the Judiciary and Legislative Power of the state, where there are also other buildings listed as heritage: the Ver-o-Peso Dock, the Clock Square, the Dom Pedro II Square, the
Antônio Lemos Palace
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, museum, and the city hall of Belém, built in 1860 by José da Gama Abreu, in the c ...