Mariana Historical Center |
The foundation date of the city is 1696, July 16th, when explorers
Miguel Garcia and Salvador Furtado discovered gold at Ribeirão Nossa Senhora do Carmo. The settlement had arisen at the margins of a stream
transformed into what Mariana is today.
Since primordial times, the economy of the settlement was growing with the gold
exploration. The arrival of adventurers in search of richness made the local to grow, as well as conflict for real properties. The first
confrontation in the region was “Guerra dos Emboabas”, when people from São Paulo and other migrants joined the conflict. To establish the order
in the region, the portugueses nominated Capitão General Antônio de Albuquerque as governor, with Vila de Ribeirão do Carmo as seat of
government.
It remained like that until 1720, when the city lost the post of capital to Vila
Rica, today known as Ouro Preto. In 1745, it was elevated to the category of city and received the name of Mariana in homage to Queen Dona Maria
Ana D'Áustria, married with Dom João V. In the same year, Pope Bento XIV took Primeiro Bispado de Minas Gerais to the city.
The first archbishop of Mariana was Dom Frei Manoel da Cruz, who was bishop of
Maranhão and made the course to the small city of Minas Gerais through the country side, in a trip that took more than 12 months. When he arrived
in Mariana, he was greeted with so great party that the commemoration entered into history.
The church is still important for the city and its influence is reflected in the
religiosity of the people. It has less monuments and temples than Ouro Preto, but, Catedral Basílica da Sé is one of the richest churches in
Minas Gerais, built in 1713 with com sober architecture and interior decorated with art works.
The urban and landscape set of Mariana is protected since 1945 and is kept
practically the way it was in the colonial times, with straight streets and rectangular blocks. |
Presentation
