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Description
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- Much more
than just the capital of Bahia, Salvador, Brazil, is synonymous
with a state of mind. It is the Brazilian city which most evokes
relaxation, spontaneity, feasts and religiousness. "Bahians aren't
just born, they take the stage" said the composer Caetano Veloso,
one of the great stars of Brazilian Popular Music, when speaking
of the large number of his fellow countrymen, artists, all concentrated
in Salvador. Caetano's joke can be explained by the fact that
no other Brazilian capital or centre, in recent decades, can claim
to have such artistic exuberance as this city.
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- Moreover,
this capital has such a strong presence in all areas - economic,
social, cultural and political - that its name is confused with
that of Bahia. It is common for someone to say that they are going
to "the city of Bahia", when in reality they are travelling to
Salvador. In the words of its best-loved son, Jorge Amado, the
writer frequently refers to the "city of Bahia" when he is really
writing about Salvador.
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- This Salvador,
so deeply imprinted on the hearts of the people of Bahia, is the
main port of entry of foreign tourist to North-East Brazil, who
are captivated by its charm, by its infrastructure of hotels and
the combination of city and architecture, which finds its greatest
expression at the Pelourinho. The Pelτ, as it is affectionately
called by the Bahians, is located in the historical centre of
Salvador, the greatest collection of colonial architecture in
Latin America, listed for conservation by Unesco as a World Heritage
site. Its pavements, steep streets and public squares serve as
permanent stages for musical presentations, and are the strongholds
of Olodum, Ilκ-Ayκ and the Sons of Ghandhi, Afro groups (percussion
bands based on African rhythms) which draw crowds the whole year
round, particularly during the Carnival.
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- Founded
in 1549 on a hill overlooking the bay of All Saints, Salvador
was the first capital of Brazil. In 1763, due to interests of
the Portuguese Crown, it lost this status to Rio de Janeiro. It
still retains its splendour from the golden years in which it
enjoyed the status of seat of government of the Colony, in the
form of the Basνlica Cathedral, an example of Portuguese architecture,
where in 1697 father Antτnio Vieira died - a preacher of great
eloquence, but whose sermons led him to be arrested and condemned
by the Inquisition, the sentence being later annulled.
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- Seat of
the first Catholic diocese in the country, Salvador retains from
that period and previous decades buildings which are considered
true architectural relics. Of particular prominence amongst these
are the church and convent of Saint Francis, one of the richest
religious establishments in Brazil. The baroque faηade of the
church, dated 1723, conceals treasures inside, such as Portuguese
panels which show the legend of the birth of Saint Francis and
his renunciation of worldly goods.
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- Next to
these buildings can be found the church of the Third Order of
Saint Francis, dated 1702, and a convent. The set back faηade
of the temple alludes to the Spanish baroque. There are beautiful
paintings on the roof, painted by Franco Velasco in 1831. In the
convent, tiled panels created in 1729 portray the nuptials of
the firstborn son of Dom Joγo V, the infant Dom Josι, with the
Lisbon of before the 1755 earthquake in the background.
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- However,
the most popular church in Bahia is that of the Senhor do Bonfim,
where every year during the second fortnight of January, Bahians
in traditional costume wash its steps. Built on a hill, it was
decorated with white Portuguese tiles in 1772, a century after
it was finished. Its faηade is rococo and the interior neoclassic.
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- There are
also museums in Salvador, such as those of the Sacred Art and
Modern Art; the Ancient Medical Faculty, first school of its kind
in Brazil; the Lacerda Elevator with its four cabins, which since
1930 has linked the Tomι de Souza square in the Upper City to
the Cairu square in the Lower City, separated by a drop of 72
metres; and the Model Market, with more than 300 stalls where
one can buy arts and crafts products of Bahia, next to restaurants
and bars with typical food and drink. In the capital of Bahia
one of the most successful projects for the assistance and education
of street children was developed, the Axι project (an object sacred
to the African religion).
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