Camaçari (Vila de Abrantes)

Lat: -12.696358982835000, Long: -38.323350995225000

Camaçari (Vila de Abrantes)

Bahia, Brazil

Historical Background and Urbanism

The settlement was founded in 1558 by the Jesuits as the village of Divino Espírito Santo to catechise the indigenous Tupinambá people. In 1624 and 1625, it served as a refuge for the Jesuits, clergy and many residents of Salvador during the Dutch invasion, when the village became a focus of resistance and a rallying point for the forces fighting the invaders. Due to its state of deterioration, it was rebuilt in 1641 and again in 1689. Domingos Alves Branco Moniz Barreto described the town in 1792 after the Jesuits were expelled and made a map, which is now stored at the Overseas Historical Archives in Lisbon. At the time, it counted less than 100 inhabitants. The Town Hall and Prison was a single-storey building located to the left of the church. Some authors hold that the Jesuit residence was converted into that municipal building. Its floor plan consisting of a huge yard with the church and residence on one side was used in other native villages such as Massarandopió (no longer existing), Trancoso, Patativa (present-day Vale Verde) and Ajuda in Porto Seguro. When the Jesuits were expelled, the one-time village became Vila Nova de Abrantes, founded on 27th November, 1758. State Law no. 1809 of 1925 transferred the municipal seat to the settlement of Camaçari, which lent its name to the municipality. The village preserved its urban layout until the 1960s, when the local Prefecture was subdivided, reducing its length by a third. The square had originally been ringed by slightly detached single-storey houses. Set back on the right side of the church is a rural-style house with a hipped roof and verandas on three sides. Vila de Abrantes is now a district in the municipality of Camaçari.

Religious Architecture

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