Look up at the hill. That white convent is one of Rio's oldest, and its saint had one of the strangest military careers in history.

1Friars above a lagoon

The Franciscans arrived in 1592 and in 1608 began building the convent on top of this hill. At its foot lay a foul-smelling, mosquito-ridden lagoon, which the friars themselves had drained from 1679; the drainage ditch became today's Rua Uruguaiana. Largo da Carioca is, quite literally, a filled-in lagoon.

2Saint Anthony, soldier

In 1710, French privateers led by Jean-François Duclerc attacked Rio. Governor Francisco de Castro Morais asked Saint Anthony for protection and, after the victory, appointed the saint's statue an infantry captain, with pay going to the convent. Prince Regent João promoted him to major in 1810 and to lieutenant colonel in 1813.

According to the convent's history, the saint's pay was only stopped in 1911.

3Secrets of independence

In the cell of Friar Francisco de Santa Teresa de Jesus Sampaio, supporters of independence met in secret, and he drafted the letter that led Prince Pedro to the Dia do Fico. Several children of the imperial family are also buried at the convent.

4What to look for

  • The stone bell gable above the gatehouse: the convent has no tower.
  • The niche with Saint Anthony's statue, placed there in 1781.
  • The neighbouring church of São Francisco da Penitência, famous for its gilded interior.
Watercolour of Largo da Carioca with the fountain and convent in the nineteenth century
Largo da Carioca and its fountain, by Thomas Ender (around 1817–1818).

Documented

The statue of Saint Anthony was given a captain's rank after the 1710 French invasion and promoted in 1810 and 1813; building of the convent began in 1608.

Oral tradition

Crediting the 1710 victory to the saint's intercession is a matter of devotion, not historical fact.

Sources and credits

Convento de Santo Antônio, Franciscan Province of the Immaculate Conception (official website); Portuguese Wikipedia, «Convento de Santo Antônio (Rio de Janeiro)»; Centro de Arquitetura e Urbanismo do Rio de Janeiro, Guia da arquitetura colonial, neoclássica e romântica no Rio de Janeiro (2000).

Photos:

  • Santo Antônio Convent and the church of São Francisco da Penitência: Halley Pacheco de Oliveira, CC BY-SA 4.0.
  • Watercolour of Largo da Carioca with the fountain and convent in the nineteenth century: Thomas Ender, Dominio público.

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