Paço Imperial | |
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Main Façade of the Paço Imperial
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General information | |
Architectural style | Portuguese Colonial |
Town or city | Rio de Janeiro |
Country | Brazil |
Construction started | 1738 |
Design and construction | |
Architect | José Fernandes Pinto Alpoim |
Coordinates: 22°54′12.63″S 43°10′27.24″W / 22.9035083°S 43.1742333°W
The Paço Imperial (Brazilian Portuguese: [ˈpasw ĩpeɾiˈaw], European Portuguese: [ˈpasw ĩpɨɾiˈaɫ]), or Imperial Palace, previously known as the Royal Palace of Rio de Janeiro and Palace of the Viceroys, is a historic building in the center of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Paço Imperial was built in the 18th century to serve as residence for the governors of colonial Brazil. From 1808, it was used as a royal residence by King John VI of Portugal as King of Portugal and later also as King of Brazil. In 1822 it became the city palace of the monarchs of the Empire of Brazil, Pedro I and Pedro II, who used it not as a residence, but as a workplace. It was one of the main political centers of Brazil for nearly 150 years, from 1743 to 1889.
The Paço Imperial is located in the Praça XV in central Rio. Due to its architectural and historical significance, it is one of Brazil's most important historic buildings. Today it serves as a cultural center.
The current building was constructed by the order of Gomes Freire de Andrade, governor of the Capitania (colonial administrative region) of Rio de Janeiro. The architect was the Portuguese military engineer José Fernandes Pinto Alpoim, a close collaborator of the governor, who greatly enlarged the existing buildings of the Royal mint and the Royal storage house which existed in the same place. This new Governor House (Casa dos Governadores) was finished in 1743 in a plain Baroque style and, except for some details, had the same appearance as the building that exists today. The Palace, very similar to contemporary Portuguese manor houses, has a beautiful Baroque portal made of Portuguese marble, several inner courtyards and a stairway to reach the upper storeys.