Catete has witnessed two distinct periods of political and social history of the country: Brazil as an Empire and as a Republic. It became an upscale neighborhood when the coffee barons established their farms and houses in the capital enjoying the cosmopolitan life which throve side by side with the dirty, poor and busy downtown Rio. With the end of the Empire (1889), the palace that served one of these barons became the seat of the federal executive power until 1960 and today it holds the memory of historical facts of our Republic. Catete still breathes the bucolic air of the old barons. Do you doubt it? How about a walk along Catete St., getting to know its mansions and its soul in the Republic Museum and its gardens?
Not to be taken for the church Nossa Senhora da Glória do Outeiro! This one was completed in 1872 and, for some decades, lent its name to the square located in front of it.- The architecture of the building resembles that of the parish Saint Martin in the Fields, located in Trafalgar Square, next to the National Gallery in London.
Address: Largo do Machado - Catete
Opening Hours: Schedule of the masses on the website
Website: www.nsdagloria.com.br
Image Credits: Leonardo Martins
Donated by the Vatican, the statue carved by Italian Antônio Canova was placed in the middle of the fountain in 1954 and represents the dogma of Assumption. Previously, the site had been home to the Monument to Duque de Caxias, which was then transferred in the 50s to the Square of the same name, in downtown Rio.
Image Credits: skyscrapercity.com
Built in 1875, by order of D. Pedro II, the building is decorated in eclectic style with many neoclassical features and, since 1939, has hosted the National Philosophy Faculty. Currently, it houses a state school that was named after the Jurist Amaro Cavalcanti , who had been President of the Supreme Federal Court, Minister of Finance, director of Ceará’s Arts and Crafts School and director of Pedro II School.
Image Credits: www.rj.gov.br
Opened in 1874, the restaurant has been a meeting place for politicians, intellectuals and artists and was acclaimed for closing at dawn. It used to be located in another building in Largo do Machado, right next to the one that housed the first São Luiz Cinema. Due to subway construction works, it was transferred to to its present address in Rua Marques In 1974.
Address: 18-A, Marquês de Abrantes St. - Flamengo
Opening Hours: Everyday from 9:30am to 3am
Website: www.cafelamas.com.br
Image Credits: gannet39.com
Opened in 1937, São Luiz Cinema preserves little or nothing of its original features. It had the capacity for 1,794 spectators and was built as a movie palace located next to the headquarters of the government of President Getúlio Vargas. It was demolished to house a commercial building and had its space divided into two rooms Nowadays, there are four rooms.
Address: 311, Rua do Catete - Catete
Opening Hours: everyday from 10am to 11pm
Phone: (21) 2461-2461
Image Credits: lugarmarcado.wordpress.com
There are still several townhouses of the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the neighborhood. They hold their construction year on top of their facade, besides the typical coating pattern tiles. They are reminiscent of the golden age of the region, between 1897 and 1960, when Catete Palace was the seat of the federal government.
Image Credits: Fabio Blaser
Called Catete or the Eagles’ Palace, this site was built between 1858 and 1867 to be the home of the Baron of Nova Friburgo. The most sumptuous residence in the country at the time, it hosted the Republican power for nearly 64 years, during which 18 presidents dispatched at Catete. It has become the Museum of the Republic after the transfer of the federal capital to Brasilia and gathers records of the country’s political history. It also holds the memory of a sad chapter in our history : the suicide of President Getúlio Vargas in 1954.
Address: 153, Rua do Catete - Catete
Opening Hours: Everyday from 10am to 5pm
Image Credits: Wikipedia
Although Machado de Assis took up residence at various addresses in the region, the name "Largo do Machado" predates the birth of the author of “ Dom Casmurro” The most accepted version is that the neighborhood is so called because of the potter André Machado Nogueira, owner of lands at the site in the 18th century. According to the popular anecdotes, a butcher installed his butchery at the square and put a big ax on the facade.Then,, which one is the true origin? Names are not created officially, but by the tradition of use, so the Square was once Duque de Caxias and Largo da Gloria, without ever ceasing to be known as Largo do Machado.
At a time when samba and drumming were associated with savagery, the then First Lady Nair de Tefé, young wife of president Hermes da Fonseca, caused an uproar in society when she decided to play on the guitar the ‘maxixe Corta-Jaca’ , of her friend Chiquinha Gonzaga,–right in the official residence of the Catete Palace. The year was 1914, and, for the first time, a Brazilian song entered the halls of the Presidency headquarters, where only European chords were usually listened to.
The most notorious resident of Catete Palace, Getúlio Vargas, used to sneak out at night to visit secret lovers, among them starlet Virginia Lane and famous socialites of the time as Aimeé Lopes. With his death, Vargas acquired the air of a mythical figure. Although suicide is considered an act of cowardice, many believe it was a planned strategy, which is reinforced by letters he left in order to imprint his political and personal goodbye to the people of his nation.
Located on top of the favela Tavares Bastos, the hostel, art gallery and venue hosts a live jazz night and offers a special lodging during Jazz Weekend, every first Friday of the month at 10pm: 2 nights entitled to party and a super breakfast, “a brunch”, Once a month, on Sundays, the space, which has a breathtaking view of Botafogo Bay, is renewed as s an Indian food restaurant (booking in advance is needed).
Address: Rua Tavares Bastos, 414/66, Catete
Phone: (21) 2558-5547
Website: www.jazzrio.com
Image Credits: The Maze / Divulgação
Located in a centenary building of the region, it houses a restaurant and space for concerts, from jazz to gaff, rock to MPB, performed mainly by Brazilian artists. The name is a tribute to one of the most important ranches in Rio’s Carnival. Joy, music and gastronomy is the motto of the house.
Address: 277, Pedro Americo St. - Catete
Phone: (21) 2556-2427
Website: www.casaraoamenoreseda.com.br
Image Credits: Airbnb
Opened to the public in May 2005, it is located at the address occupied for many years by the Telephone Museum, which previously held Telefônica Beira-Mar Station, inaugurated in 1918. The cultural center has a contemporary architectural design, with bold lines and stands out in the landscape of the neighborhood, joining the present, the past and the future. Its program usually consists of concerts, plays and exhibitions. The attractions can be free or at popular prices.
Address: 63, Dois de Dezembro St.
Phone: (21) 3131-3060
Website: www.oifuturo.org.br/cultura/oi-futuro-flamengo
Image Credits: Oi Futuro / Divulgação
In the traditional address of Arabic food at Condor Gallery, the star is the esfiha – preferably eaten while standing at the counter – but a small lounge also serves hearty portions of rice and lentils that can be accompanied by stuffed zucchini, grape leaf cigars or two kaftas (chicken or beef).
Address: 29, Largo do Machado, lojas 16-19, 32-33
Phone: (21) 2557-2377
Image Credits: Natália Gastão
Besides hosting multiple cultural activities. Itinerant bands, circus groups with outdoor projects, Carnival parades, art collectives, Largo do Machado also hosts book fairs, thrift shops and flower-stands. It has a major metro station of the same name, and is the point of arrival and departure of the official vans to Cristo Redentor. If you are walking by the region, it is always a good thing to ask if something is happening at the Largo.
Address: Largo do Machado, s/n
Créditos de Imagem: skyscrapercity.com
