Solar Bandeira is a former manor house 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'' ( ...

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 was built by Pedro Rodrigues Bandeira (1768-1835), a wealthy merchant and financier of Bahian forces during the Brazilian War of Independence. Solar Bandeira is located on the slope in the Soledade neighborhood, formerly a suburb of Salvador that included plantation and the Convent Our Lady of Solitude. The garden, which had rich mosaic work and a view of the

Bay of All Saints The Bay of All Saints (), also known as All Saints' Bay and Todos os Santos Bay, is the principal bay of the Brazilian state of Bahia, to which it gave its name. It sits on the Brazilian coast, eastern coast of Brazil, surrounding part of Bahia' ...

, was called the "marvel and pride of Bahia" in the 18th and 19th century. Solar Bandeira, despite its protected status, is in an advanced state of ruin and may not be visited.

History

Solar Bandeira dates to the second half of the 18th century, and belonged to Pedro Rodrigues Bandeira. Pedro Rodrigues Bandeira was born in Bahia in 1768. He became the largest exporter of tobacco and brandy in Colonial Brazil, exporting his goods from warehouses in Cachoeira, in the interior of the Recôncavo, to Africa, India, and Portugal. Bandeira was reputedly one of the richest men in Salvador; he financed Bahian forces against the Portuguese during the

Brazilian War of Independence The Brazilian War of Independence () was an armed conflict that led to the separation of Brazil from the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves. The war was fought across various regions of Brazil, including Bahia, Maranhão, Pará ...

in the 1820s; Brazilian troops occupied Salvador on July 2, 1823 after the Battle of Itaparica. Solar Bandeira was one of many buildings owned by Pedro Rodrigues Bandeira. An inventory of the building taken in 1835 states that a courtyard on the hill was used for the stables, coach house, and kitchen of the house; the attic was used for slaves quarters. Solar Bandeira appears in a watercolor by Julius Nacher in 1879.

Structure

Sola Bandeira has two stories and an attic. Its exterior walls are of stone masonry and interior walls of brick. The first floor had a wide portal at its center with three large, barred windows at either side; the first-floor windows have been converted to doors. The seven windows of the second floor, corresponding to the doors of the first floor, of the house look out onto the Ladeira da Soledade and have

balconet Balconet or balconette is an architectural term to describe a false balcony, or railing at the outer plane of a window-opening reaching to the floor, and having, when the window is open, the appearance of a balcony. They are common in France, Por ...

s. The windows are framed in ''lioz'' stone imported from Portugal. The interior, notably door frames and windows, were of carved wood. The rear of the house has a broad, panoramic view of the

. Solar Bandeira was noted for its garden and rich mosaics of the type known as ''embrechado'', shells, stones, crockery fragments, and other materials were utilized for the technique. The garden of Solar Bandeira had ''embrechado'' mosaic work of crockery of Moorish design; it decorated walls, seats, and flower beds of the garden. The garden is in an advanced state of ruin, and little of the mosaic remains. A similar garden was found at the Casa de Azulejo, built in the mid-19th century; the House at Rua Felipe Camarão, no. 34 retains its fine garden ''embrechado'' work.

Protected status

Solar Bandeira was declared a classified property of Bahia by the Artistic and Cultural Institute of Bahia (IPAC) in 2010. It is additionally part of the Area of Contiguous Protection of Soledade (''Área de Proteção Contígua--Soledade'').

Access

Solar Bandeira is in an advanced state of ruin and may not be visited.

References

{{reflist, 2, refs= {{cite conference , last1=Almeida , first1=Thaís Vaz Sampaio de , last2=Santos Neta , first2=Cidália de Jesus Ferreira dos , title=Arte nas alturas: modos de fazer e ornar as torres sineiras das igrejas do Recôncavo , language=pt , conference=III Encontro Baiano de Estudos em Cultura , publisher=Universidade Federal do Recôncavo da Bahia , place=Cachoeira, Bahia , year=2012 , page = 1 {{cite web , last = Lacerda , first = Ana Maria , url= http://www.hpip.org/def/en/Homepage/Entry?a=1174 , title= Solar Bandeira , place= Lisbon, Portugal , year = 2013 , publisher=Heritage of Portuguese Influence/Património de Influência Portuguesa , accessdate=2018-11-07 {{cite book , last=Secretaria da Indústria, Comércio e Turismo (Bahia, Brazil) , title=IPAC-BA: inventário de proteção do acervo cultural , edition=3 , volume = 1 , location=Salvador, Brazil , publisher=Secretaria da Indústria e Comércio , year=1997 , pages=265–266 {{cite news , url=http://www.jornalgrandebahia.com.br/2010/06/salvador-solar-bandeira-sera-tombado-pelo-estado-da-bahia/ , title=Salvador: Solar Bandeira será tombado pelo Estado da Bahia , language=pt , work=Jornal Grande Bahia , location=Salvador, Bahia , date=2010-06-01 , accessdate=2018-11-14 Buildings and structures in Salvador, Bahia State heritage sites of Bahia Houses in Brazil