São Bento do Sapucaí is a Brazilian

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

state. Once known as a religious and traditional town, the municipality of São Bento do Sapucaí, now with its population reaching 10,000 inhabitants, is known for its mild weather, beautiful landscapes, and great conditions for the practice of many action sports.

History

First settlings in that area were made by

Bandeirantes ''Bandeirantes'' (; ; singular: ''bandeirante'') were settlers in colonial Brazil who participated in expeditions to expand the colony's borders and subjugate Indigenous peoples in Brazil, indigenous peoples during the early modern period. T ...

that went up the

Serra da Mantiqueira The Mantiqueira Mountains (Portuguese: ''Serra da Mantiqueira iterally: Mantiqueira Mountains Chain') are a mountain range in Southeastern Brazil, with parts in the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro. The name shows the range ...

trying to reach the gold mining regions of

Minas Gerais Minas Gerais () is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil, being the fourth largest state by area and the second largest in number of inhabitants with a population of 20,539,989 according to the 2022 Brazilian census, 2022 census. Located in ...

. The town was founded on August 6, 1832, and

Saint Benedict Benedict of Nursia (; ; 2 March 480 – 21 March 547), often known as Saint Benedict, was a Great Church, Christian monk. He is famed in the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Lutheran Churches, the Anglican Communion, and Old ...

was chosen as the patron saint. The name of the place comes from Saint Benedict in Portuguese) and the river Sapucaí, that crosses town. Around 1850, José Pereira Alves and his wife, Ignez Leite de Toledo donated a large area of land to the town, with the purpose of building a great church in honor of St. Benedict. The town's folk went in a religious procession to retrieve an

image An image or picture is a visual representation. An image can be Two-dimensional space, two-dimensional, such as a drawing, painting, or photograph, or Three-dimensional space, three-dimensional, such as a carving or sculpture. Images may be di ...

of the saint from the nearest

chapel A chapel (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...

(which was almost in

Sapucaí-Mirim Sapucaí-Mirim is a municipality in the state of Minas Gerais in the Southeast region of Brazil. The municipality contains part of the Fernão Dias Environmental Protection Area, created in 1997. See also *List of municipalities in Minas Gerais ...

), and then the "Igreja Matriz de São Bento" (St. Benedict's Matrix Church) started to be built by the

slaves Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

. Still today, you can find in there paintings of well-known artists that date back to 1853.

Geography

Located 164 km northeast of

, on a mountain chain called

, it has a total area of 251.2 km². The

topography Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the landforms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps. Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary sci ...

is very mountainous. There are many hills and waterfalls (the highest being Toldi Falls with more than 200 m). The city's average

altitude Altitude is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum (geodesy), datum and a point or object. The exact definition and reference datum varies according to the context (e.g., aviation, geometr ...

is 886 meters, and the highest peak is a rock compound known as

Pedra do Baú Pedra do Baú and the ''Pedra do Baú'' complex are rock formations in the Mantiqueira Mountains (''Serra da Mantiqueira''). They are located in the municipality of São Bento do Sapucaí, São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Brazil. Geography The gn ...

with an elevation of . The municipality contains 66% of the

Sapucaí Mirim Environmental Protection Area The Sapucaí Mirim Environmental Protection Area () is an environmental protection area in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Location The Sapucaí Mirim Environmental Protection Area is divided between the municipalities of Santo Antônio do Pin ...

, created in 1998.

Media

In telecommunications, the city was served by Companhia de Telecomunicações do Estado de São Paulo until 1975, when it began to be served by Telecomunicações de São Paulo. In July 1998, this company was acquired by Telefónica, which adopted the Vivo brand in 2012. The company is currently an operator of cell phones, fixed lines, internet (fiber optics/4G) and television (satellite and cable).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sao Bento Do Sapucai Municipalities in Vale do Paraíba e Litoral Norte Populated places established in 1832