The Solar da Marquesa de Santos is a

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 held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals with ...

located in

central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known a ...

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...

, Brazil, that hosts several cultural exhibitions and is currently the headquarters of the Cidade de São Paulo museum. The residence, made of

rammed earth Rammed earth is a technique for constructing foundations, floors, and walls using compacted natural raw materials such as earth, chalk, lime, or gravel. It is an ancient method that has been revived recently as a sustainable building method ...

blocks, was built around the second half of the 18th century. Between 1834 and 1867, the building served as a home for Domitila de Castro, Marchioness of Santos, who acquired the property from the heiress of Brigadier Joaquim de Moraes Leme after the break in her relations with

Pedro I of Brazil Don (honorific), Dom Pedro I (English: Peter I; 12 October 1798 – 24 September 1834), nicknamed "the Liberator", was the founder and List of monarchs of Brazil, first ruler of the Empire of Brazil. As King Dom Pedro IV, he List of ...

. In 1880, it was put up for auction and bought by the Diocesan Mitra, which installed the Episcopal Palace there. The entity carried out several works on the site, resulting in modifications to the structure. Between 1909 and 1967, the building was used by the São Paulo Gaz Company, which made other changes in the building until it was

expropriated Eminent domain (United States, Philippines), land acquisition (India, Malaysia, Singapore), compulsory purchase/acquisition (Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, United Kingdom), resumption (Hong Kong, Uganda), resumption/compulsory acquisition (Austr ...

by the City Hall. In 1971, the manor was declared a

historical monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, his ...

of the

State of São Paulo State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * '' State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * '' Our ...

and named a municipal heritage. In 1975, it became the headquarters of the Municipal Secretary of Culture. Because of the many changes in its structure, the building had to undergo two restorations, the first in the 1960s and the second in 1990. The second floor still preserves the original walls of

and

wattle and daub Wattle and daub is a composite building method used for making walls and buildings, in which a woven lattice of wooden strips called wattle is daubed with a sticky material usually made of some combination of wet soil, clay, sand, animal dung a ...

from the 18th century.

History

The first references in documents to the Solar da Marquesa de Santos are dated between 1739 and 1754, which show the existence of four houses at do Carmo Street (currently Roberto Simonsen Street) belonging to André Alvares de Castro. According to the records of that century and the architectural analysis made by the Departamento do Patrimônio Histórico (DPH), two of these houses were probably joined, which would have originated the manor house.Relatório de Bens Protegidos: Solar da Marquesa de Santos. Departamento do Patrimônio Histórico - Prefeitura de São Paulo. Brigadier José Joaquim Pinto de Morais Leme received the building as payment for debts in 1802. When she returned from

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of the same name, Brazil's List of Brazilian states by population, third-most populous state, and the List of largest citi ...

and after the end of her relationship with Pedro I, Domitilla de Castro acquired from the Brigadier's heiress house number 3 at do Carmo Street, for eleven contos and four hundred thousand réis, and made several changes in the building during the time she owned it, between 1834 and 1867. Because of the famous parties, soirees, and balls held by the Marchioness, the residence came to be called Palacete do Carmo ("Carmo Palace"), and became known as one of the most

aristocratic Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'. At the time of the word's ...

properties in São Paulo. With the death of Maria Domitilla in 1867, the property ownership passed to her son, Commander Felício Pinto de Mendonça e Castro. In 1880, the residence was put up for auction and bought by the Diocesan Mitra, which installed the Episcopal Palace and made reforms to the structure, such as the construction of a chapel and a

crypt A crypt (from Latin '' crypta'' " vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, sarcophagi, or religious relics. Originally, crypts were typically found below the main apse of a ...

under the main

altar An altar is a Table (furniture), table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of wo ...

. It was probably during this period that the façade of do Carmo Street gained the

neoclassical Neoclassical or neo-classical may refer to: * Neoclassicism or New Classicism, any of a number of movements in the fine arts, literature, theatre, music, language, and architecture beginning in the 17th century ** Neoclassical architecture, an a ...

feature that is maintained until today. Sala do Solar da Marquesa de Santos 14

In 1909, the property was bought by The São Paulo Gaz Company, which set up its offices there. To adapt to its new use, the house underwent new modifications and was expanded: Walls were demolished and the windows and doors were transformed into storefronts. In order to improve lighting and ventilation, a patio was opened on the right side of the lot, changing the design of the roof. A

skylight A skylight (sometimes called a rooflight) is a light-permitting structure or window, usually made of transparent or translucent glass, that forms all or part of the roof space of a building for daylighting and ventilation purposes. History Ope ...

was also introduced in one of the rooms on the second floor in 1916. In 1934, the first of the annexes was built, and five years later, the rest, completely altering the rear façade. Internal changes were made, such as the introduction of stairs, elimination, and addition of openings. In 1965, a new intervention aimed to recover the

colonial Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 a ...

characteristics of the property: The main façade was recomposed, taking the features used today. The storefronts on the main façade were eliminated, and the series of three openings on the first floor, under the largest balcony, was restored to accommodate the use of the store of the Companhia Paulista de Gás (formerly The São Paulo Gaz Company). After two years, the city government expropriated the Gas Company and kept all its properties, including the manor house. On June 15, 1971, the Solar da Marquesa de Santos was listed as a

of the

and incorporated into the municipal heritage. In 1975, it became the headquarters of the Municipal Secretariat of Culture and the newly created Department of Historical Heritage (DPH).

Restoration works

Placa de reabertura do Solar da Marquesa de Santos 20

The adaptations made to the building during the various uses of the site caused its original features to be modified. Because of this factor, in 1991 restoration work was carried out based on an analysis of the building's constructive evolution. The restoration preserved the characteristics of the various modifications made during the construction. The environment of the first floor was preserved, the traces of the sidewalk used in the 18th century were preserved in the inner courtyard, and the interventions made during the 1960s were undone and demolished. Still during the restoration phase, the

and

walls were preserved and left exposed, as well as some paintings and floors. To finish the restoration, the neoclassical features of 1965 were maintained on the façade. The manor house underwent two more restorations, in 1996 and between 2008 and 2011. After the restoration process was completed, the residence was reopened to the public on November 19, 2011, and it is still possible to find some utensils, such as a bed, mirror, and a lounger used by the

Marchioness A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman w ...

Architectural Features

Coluna do Solar da Marquesa de Santos 16

The Solar da Marquesa de Santos is seen as one of the rare examples of an urban residence characteristic of the XVIII century. The building maintains the architectural characteristics resulting from the many renovations carried out over the centuries. Some of the original characteristics of the construction can be found on the site, such as the rammed earth walls and some concrete and brick

masonry Masonry is the building of structures from individual units, which are often laid in and bound together by mortar; the term ''masonry'' can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are bricks, building ...

structures. The house is composed of a two-story main building on Roberto Simonsen Street and also has five-story annexes facing Bittencourt Rodrigues Street, built in the 1930s and 1940s. Parede original do Solar da Marquesa de Santos 02

Parede original do Solar da Marquesa de Santos 02

The main façade maintains the

composition of the nineteenth century, with fronts, balconies concealing the ceramic tile roof, framed openings, and balconies in detailed metalwork. All the openings of the residence keep padded wooden frames, and the balcony doors also have wooden shutters and, like the windows, are externally followed by wooden frames with glass panes. On the first floor, it is possible to see the changes made in the twentieth century, such as the

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies und ...

floor, with demarcations of the foundations discovered in the

archaeological excavation In archaeology, excavation is the exposure, processing and recording of archaeological remains. An excavation site or "dig" is the area being studied. These locations range from one to several areas at a time during a project and can be cond ...

s, and the modular aluminum ceiling. The second floor maintains more ancient characteristics, such as the vestiges of mural paintings, and the floorboards and panels with

gilding Gilding is a decorative technique for applying a very thin coating of gold over solid surfaces such as metal (most common), wood, porcelain, or stone. A gilded object is also described as "gilt". Where metal is gilded, the metal below was trad ...

Historical and cultural significance

The Solar da Marquesa de Santos building is located near the

Pátio do Colégio Pátio do Colégio (in Portuguese ''School Yard'', written in the archaic orthography ''Pateo do Collegio'') is the name given to the historical Jesuit church and school in the city of São Paulo, Brazil. The name is also used to refer to the squ ...

, the place where the city of São Paulo began and was founded. Thus, the Solar da Marquesa de Santos is seen today as the oldest and main example of urban housing in

. Even after undergoing many changes in its structure, many of the original features are still preserved, which brings to the house a great historical and cultural significance linked to the 18th century. Visitors to the Solar can find on-site furniture and household utensils that were used by the Marchioness de Santos herself, such as her bathtub, a piano, and portraits done by artists of the time. The museum's collection also features photographs of the city at the time of its construction.

Listing

Through the Resolution of 06/14/1971 of the

Council for the Defense of Historical, Archaeological, Artistic and Tourist Heritage The Council for the Defense of Historical, Archaeological, Artistic and Tourist Heritage ( pt, Conselho de Defesa do Patrimônio Histórico, Arqueológico, Artístico e Turístico), or CONDEPHAAT, protects, values and communicates information abou ...

(CONDEPHAAT), the listing of the Solar da Marquesa de Santos as a historical monument was published in the ''Diário Oficial'' of the State of São Paulo on June 15, 1971. The complete document with the process of listing the heritage site is scanned and available for consultation online. Also available are the processes with the request for restoration of the manor house from 1988 and 2003.

Tableware from Solar da Marquesa

The

porcelain Porcelain () is a ceramic material made by heating substances, generally including materials such as kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to other types of pottery, arises main ...

fragments found during the excavations were divided into three groups: The first as a result of the landfill made at the site, the second possibly from the residents of the manor house, and the third, a small group but created by presenting fragments discrepant from the rest found at the site. The fragments from the first group, related to the landfill, are estimated to be from 1700 to 1840, mainly due to the absence of decorative types on the pieces analyzed. The second group contains fragments of

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...

from the late 19th century and Brazilian porcelain from the 20th century. The third group has a suggested dating of the 19th century, with the presence of one fragment of

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Port ...

faience Faience or faïence (; ) is the general English language term for fine tin-glazed pottery. The invention of a white pottery glaze suitable for painted decoration, by the addition of an oxide of tin to the slip of a lead glaze, was a major ad ...

and one of

Chinese porcelain Chinese ceramics show a continuous development since Chinese Neolithic, pre-dynastic times and are one of the most significant forms of Chinese art and ceramics globally. The first pottery was made during the List of Palaeolithic sites in China, ...

, in addition to 5 fragments of European porcelain.

Current state

Fachada do Solar da Marquesa de Santos 07

The restorations made in the manor were responsible for maintaining and bringing back characteristics that had been modified in the XIX century, such as the paneled ceilings, the floors, and the paintings. When visiting the manor, it is possible to find parts of the original walls, which were left exposed to inform what techniques were used to build the residence. Other constructive characteristics that have been kept until today are the ''maçonnerie de pisé'' dating from the 18th century. It was also decided to preserve the building's façade with the

style added in 1965. Currently, the Solar da Marquesa de Santos is used as the headquarters of the Museum of the City of São Paulo and hosts several exhibitions.

References

{{coord, -23.54856, -46.63214, format=dms, type:landmark_region:BR, display=title Buildings and structures in São Paulo Architecture in Brazil Heritage sites in Brazil