Cemitério Nossa Senhora da Piedade

Maceió (Alagoas – AL)

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The village that gave birth to the city of Maceió arouse in a sugar-mill around 1609 – date of its founding. The town began to grow economically from the 17th century on, when the cultivation of sugar cane began to thrive. Until now that agriculture has enormous importance for the state and is considered the second largest producer of the country.
At the beginning of the19th century, in 1815, Maceió got the title of “vila” – town.
Due to the financial prosperity the government decided to elect Maceió the capital of the state of Alagoas, which was previously the town called Marechal Deodoro.
In 1839 Maceió got the title of capital at the same time it was considered a town. At this point a lot of changes began to happen to the structure of the town.

Timeline:

1611 – Diogo Soares, mor-mayor of “Santa Maria Madalena da Lagoa do Sul” -(Saint Mary Magdelaine of the South Lake) granted to Manuel Antonio Duro, a “sesmaria” (800 fathom of uncultivated land) on which were included the lands of Maceió.
1815 – The town of Maceio was created by a royal charter on December 5th and was settled on January 1st, 1817.
1817 – Occured the political emancipation of Maceio and the creation of the Province of Alagoas.
1818 – The first governor of the Capitania, Sebastião de Melo e Póvoas, got a request from the Senator´s House to elect Maceió the seat of the government, as for the advantages of its topographical situation and its wonderful anchorage.
1819 – On January 30, it is installed the Real Board of Finance. In the same year it was established in Maceió the parish of Our Lady of Pleasures.
1839 – The General Government decided to transfer the Treasury to Maceio. On December 3rd, a proposal to change the capital of the state to Maceio was presented to the Legislative Assembly. On December 9th it was made a city and seat of government of the province. On 16th, the president Agostinho da Silva Neves inaugurated the new capital.
1860 – Probable date of construction of the Cemetery Our Lady of Mercy.
Century 20th – It started an accelerated tourism process in the region of Maceió.

Our Lady of Mercy Cemetery is located in the old region of Maceió.

Here are buried members of the traditional alagoan families such as the Tavares Bastos, Paiva, Mendonça, Quintella, Guimaraes, Mello, Gatto and many others.

Our Lady of Mercy Cemetery is the oldest in the city, its internal space adopts a series of wrought iron and vases according to the neoclassical Portuguese landscape architecture taste. Currently it is almost full and the remains of the traditional alagoan families are buried in existing mausoleums or in the few ones
that still exist.

ALLEGORY OF A FOND REMEMBRANCE, 20th century. The angel with a sad and serene facial expression strews flowers on the tombstone. The contrast between the statue in Carrara marble with the cross and the columns of unpolished granite deserves special mention.

ART NOUVEAU WROUGHT, the 20th century. The wrought , placed around the graves, had the intention to protect the dead space and also to decorate and prevent it against invaders. Note the perfection of cast iron, made up of Christians symbolic elements: angels, pyres, and grape leaves garland.

MODERN TOMBS, the 20th century. The five identical monuments adopt a simple plot between an arch of curved lines and a head of similar format. The tombstones are identifying elements of Tomb-House.

NEOCLASSICAL TOMB, the 19th century. Sober and monumental architecture that embraces elements of neoclassical art. Observe the balustrade interspersed with columns that circumvent the entire monument, the Christian symbols and the broken column. Finishing made of whitewashed brick.

BROKEN COLUMN , the 20th century. Symbolizes the interruption of Almeida Guimaraes life. Note the sculpture of the young lady looking at the sky expressing sadness and pain for the loss of her loved one. Carrara Marble.

MONUMENT TO THE BRAZILIAN COMBATANTS, the 20th century. The association of ex-combatants of Brazil dedicated this monument to those who participated to the Second World War. The engraved sculptures in stone record the inherent attributes to the Navy, the Army and the Air Force.

FUNERARY NICHES, the 20th century. The surface of the niches is covered by tiles and granite. Each family registers the ownership of the space by placing plaques (epitaphs), vases, pictures and crosses to honor their deceased relatives. The decorative designs are recycled by the owners themselves from time to time.

BORGES, Maria Eliza. Funerary Art in Brazil (1890 – 1930). Italian Marble Carver Craft in Ribeirão Preto. Belo Horizonte: C/ Arte, 2002.
VALLADARES, C. do Prado. Art and Society in the Brazilian Cemeteries. Rio de Janeiro, Federal Cultural Council – National Press Department. 1972. 2v.

Sites:

//biblioteca.ibge.gov.br/visualizacao/dtbs/alagoas/maceio.pdf (Acessado em 4 de junho de 2006).
//www.brazilonboard.com/mac/16091.asp (Acessado em 4 de junho de 2006).
//gazetaweb.globo.com/Canais/Maceio/Historia.php (Acessado em junho 2006).
//maisalagoas.uol.com.br/mais.asp?id=historia (Acessado em junho 2006).

Credits:

Project coordination & Research: Maria Elizia Borges.
Website Creation: Catu Design, 2008.
Photography: Maria Elizia Borges e César Mulati
Researcher: Adriana M. Gianvechio Carvalho – CNPq.
Translation: Iara Maria Sanches, 2008.
Added in 2008.

Contact:

maelizia@terra.com.br