The Paço Imperial (), or Imperial Palace, previously known as the Royal Palace of Rio de Janeiro and Palace of the Viceroys, is a historic building in the center of the city of

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 ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. The Paço Imperial was built in the 18th century to serve as a residence for the governors of

colonial Brazil Colonial Brazil (), sometimes referred to as Portuguese America, comprises the period from 1500, with the Discovery of Brazil, arrival of the Portuguese, until 1815, when Brazil was elevated to a United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves ...

. From 1808, it was used as a royal residence by King John VI of Portugal as King of Portugal and later also as King of Brazil. In 1822 it became the city palace of the monarchs of the

Empire of Brazil The Empire of Brazil was a 19th-century state that broadly comprised the territories which form modern Brazil and Uruguay until the latter achieved independence in 1828. The empire's government was a Representative democracy, representative Par ...

, Pedro I and Pedro II, who used it not as a residence, but as a workplace. It was one of the main political centers of Brazil for nearly 150 years, from 1743 to 1889. The Paço Imperial is located in the Praça XV de Novembro in central Rio. Due to its architectural and historical significance, it is one of Brazil's most important historic buildings. Today it serves as a cultural center.

History

Origins

The current building was constructed by the order of Gomes Freire de Andrade, governor of the Capitania (colonial administrative region) of Rio de Janeiro. The architect was the Portuguese military engineer José Fernandes Pinto Alpoim, a close collaborator of the governor, who greatly enlarged the existing buildings of the Royal

mint Mint or The Mint may refer to: Plants * Lamiaceae, the mint family ** ''Mentha'', the genus of plants commonly known as "mint" Coins and collectibles * Mint (facility), a facility for manufacturing coins * Mint condition, a state of like-new ...

and the Royal storage house which existed in the same place. This new Governor’s House (''Casa dos Governadores'') was finished in 1743 in a plain

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

style and, except for some details, had the same appearance as the building that exists today. The Palace, very similar to contemporary Portuguese

manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were usually held the lord's manorial courts, communal mea ...

s, has a beautiful Baroque portal made of Portuguese marble, several inner courtyards and a stairway to reach the upper storeys. The whole area beside the Governors’s House was also remodelled by Pinto Alpoim and turned into a spacious square (known today as ''Praça XV'') including a marble fountain brought from

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

. On the opposite side of the square, a large residential building for the Teles de Menezes family was built (a portion of this building still exists). In 1763, as the seat of the colonial government of Brazil was transferred from Salvador to Rio de Janeiro, the building was turned into the Viceroy’s Palace (''Paço dos Vice-Reis''), used by the

Viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the Anglo-Norman ''roy'' (Old Frenc ...

of Brazil as administrative center. Around this period, the square beside the Palace gained a stone harborside quay and a new fountain (''Fonte de Mestre Valentim'') which still exists today.

Royal Palace

The Palace became a Royal Palace (''Paço Real'') in 1808, when the court of

prince regent A prince regent or princess regent is a prince or princess who, due to their position in the line of succession, rules a monarchy as regent in the stead of a monarch, e.g., as a result of the sovereign's incapacity (minority or illness) or ab ...

John of Braganza arrived in Rio, escaping the invasion of

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

. Here the Prince Regent (later King John VI) ruled the newly named

United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves The United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves was a pluricontinental monarchy formed by the elevation of the Portuguese colony named State of Brazil to the status of a kingdom and by the simultaneous union of that Kingdom of Brazil ...

. Around this time, a third floor was added to the central portion of the façade of the Palace which faced the sea. At the back of the Palace, an elevated passageway was built to link the Palace with the Carmelite Convent, where Queen Mary I of Portugal was housed. A throne room was arranged on the second floor of the Palace, and there the traditional ceremony of ''beija-mão'' ( hand-kissing) took place.

Imperial Palace

In 1822, Brazil became an independent nation as the

. The Palace continued as an administrative center under Emperor Pedro I and his successor Pedro II. At this time it was renamed the Imperial Palace (''Paço Imperial''). The Emperors resided at the São Cristóvão Palace (Palace of St. Christopher), but the Imperial Palace remained the formal seat of the Court and the monarch's workplace. Several important events in the

History of Brazil Before the arrival of the Europeans, the lands that now constitute Brazil were occupied, fought over and settled by diverse tribes. Thus, the history of Brazil begins with the indigenous people in Brazil. The Portuguese arrived to the land tha ...

are associated with the Paço Imperial. On 9 January 1822, Pedro I announced from one of the balconies of the Palace facing the square that he would refuse Portuguese orders and remain on in an independent Brazil (the so-called ''

Dia do Fico DIA or Dia may refer to: Government establishments * Defence Industry Agency, Turkey * Defense Intelligence Agency, United States foreign military intelligence agency * Defence Intelligence Agency (India) Indian foreign military intelligence ag ...

''). During 1888 in one of the Palace chambers, Pedro II's daughter Princess Isabel, acting as regent, signed the famous ''

Lei Áurea The (; ), officially Law No. 3,353 of 13 May 1888, is the law that abolished slavery in Brazil. It was signed by Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil (1846–1921), an opponent of slavery, who acted as regent to Emperor Pedro II of Brazil, ...

'', which definitively banned slavery from Brazil. In addition, the Palace and its adjacent square and chapel were the scene for the

coronation A coronation ceremony marks the formal investiture of a monarch with regal power using a crown. In addition to the crowning, this ceremony may include the presentation of other items of regalia, and other rituals such as the taking of special v ...

s of John VI, Pedro I and Pedro II and other public celebrations.

Decay and restoration

With the establishment of the Republic of Brazil in 1889, the Paço Imperial lost its former importance and was converted into the central Mail Office for Rio de Janeiro. The interior decorations of the rooms were dispersed, and the façades were modified. In 1980 a major restoration returned the building to the appearance it had around 1818. This task was made easier as an enormous number of images from the 18th and 19th centuries depict the Palace in detail. Since 1984 the Paço Imperial has been an important cultural center, hosting temporary art exhibitions of painting, sculpture, cinema, music, etc. It also houses the Paulo Santos Library, specializing in art, architecture and engineering, and also containing several rare books from the 16th to the 18th centuries.

Gallery

File:Paço da cidade 1818.jpg, The Paço Imperial in 1818 File:Aclamação de D Pedro II em 1831 by Debret.jpg, Acclamation of Pedro II, 1831 File:Casamento princesa isabel.jpg, The palace being prepared for the wedding ceremony of Princess Isabel and Prince Gaston of Orléans, 1864 File:Povo paço 1888.jpg, Princess Isabel is cheered from the central balcony by a crowd in the streets, moments after having signed the

Golden Law Golden means made of, or relating to gold. Golden may also refer to: Places United Kingdom *Golden, in the parish of Probus, Cornwall *Golden Cap, Dorset * Golden Square, Soho, London *Golden Valley, a valley on the River Frome in Gloucestersh ...

, 1888 File:PacoImperial2.jpg, Main portal of the Paço Imperial File:Praça XV3.JPG, Side view File:Paço Imperial visto de cima. (Imperial Palace vue de dessus.).jpg, The Imperial Palace as seen from the Candido Mendes building File:Rua_da_Assembléia.jpg, Seen from Assembléia Street

References

External links

*— {{DEFAULTSORT:Paco Imperial Imperial residences in Brazil Palaces in Rio de Janeiro (city) Houses completed in 1743 1740s in Brazil Baroque palaces Portuguese colonial architecture in Brazil 1743 establishments in the Portuguese Empire National heritage sites of Rio de Janeiro (state)