| Three blocks west of Praça
Tiradentes, along Rua Visconde do Rio Branco, is the Praça da República
in the Campo de Santana. Until the beginning of the seventeenth
century this area was outside the city limits, which extended only as far
as Rua Uruguaiana. Its sandy soils made it unsuitable for cultivation and
the only building here was the chapel of St Domingo, sited in the area now
covered by the asphalt of Avenida Presidente Vargas, and used by the
Fraternity of St Anne to celebrate the festivals of their patron saint –
hence the name, Campo de Santana (field of St Anne). |
|
| By the end of the
eighteenth century the city had spread to surround the Campo de Santana,
and in 1811 a barracks was built to house the Second Regiment of the Line,
who used the square as a parade ground. From here, Dom Pedro I proclaimed
Brazil’s independence from the Portuguese Crown in 1822, and after 1889
the lower half of the square became known as Praça da República. The
first president of the new republic, Deodoro de Fonseca, lived at no. 197
Praça da República. At the start of the twentieth century, the square
was landscaped, and today it’s a pleasant place for a walk, with lots of
trees and small lakes ruled by swans. In the centre lies the Parque João
Furtado, worth visiting in the evening, when small, furry shapes can
be seen scuttling about in the gloom – agoutis, happily, not rats.
Directly across Avenida Presidente Vargas is the
Praça Duque de Caxias and the Panteão Nacional, on top of which
stands the equestrian statue of the Duque de Caxias, military patron and
general in the Paraguayan War – his remains lie below in the Pantheon.
Nearby, the Dom Pedro II train station – known more commonly as
the Central do Brasil and made famous by Walter Salles’ 1997 film Central
Station – is an unmistakeable landmark, its tower rising 110m into
the sky and supporting clock faces measuring 7.5 by 5.5m, all linked to a
central winding mechanism. Just beyond the station, at Av. Marechal
Floriano 196, the Palácio do Itamaraty is one of Rio’s best
examples of Neoclassical architecture. Completed in 1853 as the pied-à-terre
of the great landowner Baron of Itamaraty, it was bought by the government
and was home to a number of the republic’s presidents. The palácio
now houses the Museu Histórico e Diplomático do Itamaraty
(Tues–Fri 10am–5.30pm, Sat & Sun 2–5.30pm), a repository of
documents, books and maps relating to Brazil’s diplomatic history, its
collections primarily of interest to serious researchers (archives open
for consultation Mon–Fri 1–5pm). Of perhaps wider interest, however,
is the part of the building painstakingly restored to show how the upper
classes lived in the nineteenth century.
North of Itamaraty is Gamboa, an extremely seedy
port area and home to Rio’s oldest favelas. The only reason to
visit Gamboa is to go to the Cemitério dos Ingleses or English
Cemetery, the oldest Protestant burial site in Brazil. In 1809 the British
community was given permission to establish a cemetery and Anglican church
in Rio, essential if English merchants were to be attracted to newly
independent Brazil. Still in use today, the cemetery is set in a beautiful
hillside location looking down to Guanabara Bay. The inscriptions on many
of the stones make poignant reading, memories of the days when early death
was almost expected. The cemetery (Mon–Fri 8am–4pm, Sat & Sun
8am–12.30pm) is at Rua da Gamboa 181. It’s best to call the caretaker
(tel 021/233-4237) before visiting to confirm that the gates will be open.
The area has a reputation for being dangerous and you’d be wise to go by
taxi; under no circumstances walk alone along the approach road passing
through the tunnel from the nearby central train station. |