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The colonial architecture.
History of the colonial architecture in Ibero-America. From the year 1500 in
which Pedro Alvarez discovered Brazil, there was no a true process of
colonization, taking shape, to simple trips of discovery and the foundation of
commercial factories of little life. Portugal did not grant great importance in
the beginning to its new possession. To these isolated exceptions an almost
feudal system happened, the king gave to zones from the new country to Versalles
his, with hereditary rights.
They were based therefore the first captainships, the system of captainships
supposed a mixed operation by Corona and the individuals, did not give greater
result, replacing it to it by Governors who depended directly on the State. In
Brazil everything the private initiative had left drawer. They did not have the
commercial ties that drowned to Spanish America. Throughout century XVII the
Portuguese colonization was concentrated to one narrow strip on the coast of the
Atlantic. The pacific penetration was work of the century following and that
only in the part of Mines Geraes and big river of the South. The populations of
the coast received fast importance thanks to the sugar cane culture; Brazil
became one of the main suppliers of Europe, and it was translated, own
constructions of an opulent atmosphere. As the Indians refused themselves to
work for the Portuguese were necessary to concern enslaved black, a racially
mixed population formed. The baroque one, expression of a complicated and
shining art had to find fertile field in those minds you affect the appearance,
to the exuberant. In a tropical atmosphere, luxurious and colorful tapeworm that
to end fatally at a furious baroque style. All the constructive enthusiasm was
dedicated to the religious architecture. The Jesuitical buildings represent
oldest in the architecture of Brazil, are moderate, regular, cold, in the middle
of that storm that characterizes the art in that country. For the European
saturated of Renaissance the Jesuitical art it supposes the expression and the
appearance of the Baroque one, for Brazil means an attenuated stage, almost
prebaroque, that is interrupted in 1759 as a result of the expulsion of the
Company. From the beginning a type of plant of Portuguese origin was used in the
temples, well different from the used one in the rest of the continent: a single
ship with or without lateral chapels, cruise and cupola (generally). The ship
was covered with wood vault just like presbytery. The lack of cupola is a
Portuguese characteristic. That simple scheme was receiving more independence:
the lateral chapels were replaced by running lengths that took from the entrance
(independent of the same door of the temple) to sacristy. This was placed behind
presbytery, in cross-sectional sense and it occurred colossal dimensions him.
Another difference is that it has the chapels next to presbytery, in front of
the faithful (it is seen in Italy). The facades stayed century XVII throughout
calm: simple stone chains or triangular pilasters without ornate, fronts,
finished square covered tile pyramid towers.
In the inner it timidly announced the beginning of to baroque style that to
later would be of madness. In century XVIII the ornate concentrated dwells in
the wood ceilings. The cities that have important monuments of century XVII plow
Olinda, Recife, Bay and Rio de Janeiro. In Olinda, the convent of San Francisco
because to very Italian solution there are in his cluster. There am is cluster
of two plants, whose low gallery also there are arcs of average point on
toscanas columns, whereas the high gallery is threshold, on to smaller toscanas
columns and with an exaggerated bases. To ceiling of roofing tiles covers this
gallery. The similarity with the clusters of Santo Spirit in Florence is
evident. In Recife, the building of to greater value is the tempers and convent
of San Francisco, whose cluster is extremely similar to the one of Bay. The
facade of the church is subsequent to the body of the tempers and enters
completely baroque the frenetic one of century XVIII. But most interesting of
this City it is the salary be Dutch seat of the government of occupation and
Mauricio Nassau wanted to make of Recife to civilization to center. Call by the
authorities of its country, Nassau left Brazil in 1644; game ten years to later
of the of the prince the Dutch had to capitulate. In colonial Bay it was during
both first centuries of life the most important City of capital Brazil and
conserved the rank until 1763, mucus and important buildings of all nature rose
there from early dates, occupies the first pleases the Cathedral, that was
primitively church of the Jesuits. |
