Categoria English
Long live the Fourth of July!
The Fourth of July is the day in which the United States of America commemorates its independence. In 1776, July 4th, the Second Continental Congress ratified the “unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States”. In this document, the so-called Thirteen Colonies officially declared their total disconnection from the British Crown, putting an end to a […]
Rio of all Saints: Saint Barbara
On December 4th the Christian communities of the world celebrate the Day of Saint Barbara, besides the birthday of my dear son João Paulo. Maybe the first thing that comes to the mind of a carioca when told about this martyr name is the long tunnel that links the neighborhoods of Catumbi and Laranjeiras, shorting […]
116, OUVIDOR STREET
Hi, folks! I have recently written about the presence of egyptian ornamentation in Rio. One of the buildings pictured there was 116 Ouvidor Street, “corner of Ourives”, as it was then known, and meaning nowadays nothing but “corner of Miguel Couto”, since part of what is left of the Ourives Street after the opening of […]
RIO OF ALL SAINTS: SAINT PETER AND SAINT PAUL
On June 29th the world Christian community celebrates the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul. Saint Peter, also called the Prince of the Apostles, was born in Galilee and was baptized Simon, having his name changed by Jesus himself, thus stating the choice of Peter as the rock on which to build His Church. Peter […]
THE SACRED TEMPLE AND THE PROFANE HOUSE
Hi, folks! Today we stand at the São Francisco de Paula Square (Largo de São Francisco de Paula), former Pavuna Lagoon, which was stage to one the most delicious tales of the city chronicle, immortalized by some twentieth-century writers like Vivaldo Coaracy and Gastão Cruls. According to them, the Governor Gomes Freire de Andrade had […]
THE PORTUGUESE BRAZILIAN BENEFICENT ASSOCIATION
Hi, everyone! I write today about a building that was claiming attention for a long time, and whose rich decoration, as for shyness, was hidden in the chromatic sameness of its façade. To our surprise, the building has just gained a new vividly colored painting, especially in a predominant strong orange. It is the headquarters […]
RIO OF ALL SAINTS: SENHOR BOM JESUS DO CALVÁRIO DA VIA SACRA
Hi, folks! I´m not sure if I just missed the information about this building during the research that resulted in my book, O RIO QUE O RIO NÃO VÊ, published in 2012, or maybe if, like so many others, the ornate studied today was not in conditions to take part of the book, but the […]
PEDRO II SCHOOL
PEDRO II SCHOOL 68 TO 80, MARECHAL FLORIANO AVENUE, CENTRO Hi, folks! Today the blog honors the Brazilian second Emperor Pedro II, known to be a better governor than some that insist to govern us nowadays… Founded on December 2nd, 1837 – the Emperor´s 12th birthday – the Pedro II School, according to the Wikipedia, […]
PEDRO ERNESTO HOSPITAL, IN VILA ISABEL
77, 28 DE SETEMBRO BOULEVARD Pedro Ernesto University Hospital DESIGNED BY JACQUES EMILE PAUL PILON (FRANCE, 1905 – S. PAULO, 1962), 1950 C. Today we address the outstanding art déco façade of the Pedro Ernesto University Hospital – Pedro Ernesto, for the close ones, or HUPE, for those even closer. The architect Jacques Pilon is […]
THE GREEN MEN FROM RIO
On June 23rd, 2015 I wrote here about gargoyles.[1] The subject seemed so interesting that I decided to research a bit more. My main interest was the central gargoyle – a mist of a man, a bat and a frog – that decorates the façade of Castelinho Francês, in the neighborhood of Flamengo. I found […]