The Rio Branco Palace () is a palace and former seat of government in

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'' ( ...

Bahia Bahia () is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Mina ...

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 ...

. It is one of the oldest palaces in Brazil and dates to 1549. It is located within the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

of the

Historic Center of Salvador The Historic Center (American English, US) or Centre (British English, UK) () of Salvador de Bahia in Brazil, also known as the (Portuguese language, Portuguese for "Pillory") or Pelo, is a historic neighborhood in western Salvador, Bahia. ...

History

Construction of the palace began in the mid-16th century under

Tomé de Sousa Tomé de Sousa (1503–1579) was the first governor-general of the Portuguese colony of Brazil from 1549 until 1553. He was a nobleman and soldier born in Rates, Póvoa de Varzim. Sousa was born a noble and participated in military expeditions i ...

, the first governor-general of Brazil, to be used as the center of Portuguese administration. It was later used as a military barracks and prison. It housed

Dom Pedro II ''Don (honorific), Dom'' PedroII (Pedro de Alcântara João Carlos Leopoldo Salvador Bibiano Francisco Xavier de Paula Leocádio Miguel Gabriel Rafael Gonzaga; 2 December 1825 – 5 December 1891), nicknamed the Magnanimous (), was the List o ...

during his tour of Bahia in 1859. The palace was significantly renovated in 1900 under

Luís Viana Luís Viana, born Luíz Vianna, (30 November 1846 - 6 July 1920) was a Brazilian politician and magistrate. References 1846 births 1920 deaths Governors of Bahia Candidates for Vice President of Brazil Members of the Chamber of D ...

, Governor of Bahia between 1896 and 1900. It was bombed on January 10, 1912, during the attack of the city of Salvador, under the command of President

Hermes da Fonseca Hermes Rodrigues da Fonseca (; 12 May 1855 – 9 September 1923) was a Brazilian field marshal and politician who served as the eighth president of Brazil between 1910 and 1914. He was a nephew of marshal Deodoro da Fonseca, the first president o ...

. The building suffered significant damage and its rich collection of rare books was completely destroyed.

Reconstruction and renovation

Reconstruction of the palace began under Governor Antônio Muniz Sodré de Aragão in 1919. The renovated palace was named "Rio Branco" in honor of the Brazilian statesman

José Paranhos, Baron of Rio Branco José Maria da Silva Paranhos Júnior, Baron of Rio Branco (in Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''Barão do Rio Branco'') (20 April 1845 – 10 February 1912) was a Brazilian Brazilian nobility, nobleman, diplomat, geographer, historian, politic ...

. In this renovation the palace received its ornate Neoclassical

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 ...

. The palace was renovated again in 1984. It now houses the Pedro Calmon Foundation and the Memorial of the Governors.

Structure

The Rio Branco Palace covers .

References

{{Authority control Historic Center (Salvador, Bahia) Palaces in Brazil 1549 establishments in the Portuguese Empire Eclectic architecture