The Terreiro de Jesus is a

plaza A town square (or public square, urban square, city square or simply square), also called a plaza or piazza, is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town or city, and which is used for community gatherings. Rela ...

located in the Historic Center of

Salvador de Bahia Salvador () is a Municipalities of Brazil, Brazilian municipality and capital city of the Federative units of Brazil, state of Bahia. Situated in the Zona da Mata in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of Brazil, Salvador is recognize ...

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 ...

. The square is located in the oldest part of the city and abuts the Praça da Sé. The Cathedral Basilica of Salvador, formerly the school and church of the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

, is the most prominent structure in the Terreiro de Jesus, and occupies the west of the square. The plaza takes its names from the society. It was renovated in the mid-20th century by the landscape architect

Roberto Burle Marx Roberto Burle Marx (August 4, 1909 – June 4, 1994) was a Brazilian landscape architect (as well as a painter, print maker, ecologist, naturalist, artist and musician) whose designs of parks and gardens made him world-famous. He is credited w ...

. It is officially known as the Praça 15 de Novembro, and forms a central cultural and historical center of the city.

History

After the foundation of Salvador by the Portuguese, Governor-General

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 ...

granted the

a land grant in the northern section of the new city. The Jesuits, led by Father

Manuel da Nóbrega Manuel da Nóbrega, SJ (old spelling ''Manoel da Nóbrega'') (18 October 1517 – 18 October 1570) was a Portuguese Jesuit priest and the first provincial of the Society of Jesus in colonial Brazil. Together with José de Anchieta, he was ver ...

constructed a small chapel and the Colégio dos Jesuítas (Jesuit School). The presence of many Jesuit priests in the area surrounding the church and school led to the plaza being known as the "Terreiro de Jesus." Construction on the Jesuit School finished in 1590. Portuguese explorer and naturalist

1584 Events January–March * January 11 – Sir Walter Mildmay is given a royal licence to found Emmanuel College, Cambridge in England. * January 16 – Roman Catholic priest George Haydock, imprisoned in the Tower of London ...

Gabriel Soares de Sousa Gabriel Soares de Sousa (1540–1591) was a Portuguese explorer and naturalist. A participant in Francisco Barretos Africa expeditions, he settled in the Portuguese colony of Brazil living there for seventeen years. He wrote ''Tratado Descritivo ...

, who visited Salvador in 1584, wrote one of the first descriptions of the Terreiro de Jesus. In his book ''Notícia do Brasil'' (1587) Gabriel Soares de Sousa described the Terrerio de Jesus as "... ocupa este terreiro e parte da rua da banda do mar um suntuoso colégio dos padres da Companhia de Jesus, com uma formosa e alegre igreja..." The initial church constructed on the site in the sixteenth century was very small. Between 1652 and 1672, the Jesuits build a larger, palatial church, which contemporary observers considered to be the most impressive religious building in 17th century Brazil. The

Mannerist Mannerism is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Italy, when the Baroque style largely replaced it ...

facade of the building was built with lioz stone, a kind of limestone imported from Portugal. The interior had magnificent tile walls, an elaborate painted wood ceiling depicting notable Jesuits, and furniture inlaid with tortoise shell. In the early nineteenth century, the old Jesuit School building functioned as a hospital. In 1808, it became home to the first medical school in Brazil. The colonial building was destroyed in a fire in 1905, and was replaced by a new building with eclectic style and neoclassical design.

20th century

The Urban Planning Commission of the City of Salvador (CPUCS) invited the landscape architect

to modernize the square in 1948. Marx replaced the existing flooring with a ''

parterre A ''parterre'' is a part of a formal garden constructed on a level substrate, consisting of symmetrical patterns, made up by plant beds, plats, low hedges or coloured gravels, which are separated and connected by paths. Typically it was the ...

'' of sinuous Portuguese tiles in black and white, and local materials such as shells and beach pebbles. Marx retained the existing fountain and existing vegetation. The renovation of the square by Marx was strongly criticized in the press of Salvador.

References

{{coord, -12.97312, -38.50989, format=dms, type:landmark_region:BR, display=title Buildings and structures in Salvador, Bahia Historic Center (Salvador, Bahia)

History

20th century

See also

References