In 2015, José do Nascimento Junior, Carmen Machado, Luisa Maria Rocha, and Julia Guttler came together to launch "The Master in the Garden", a project for the restoration and memory preservation of Mestre Valentim and his works. The project was…

The two wood carved statues and the cast chandelier, now on display in the permanent collection at the National History Museum, were created by Mestre Valentim during the period of 1801-1812 as part of the Brotherhood of the Holy Cross of the…

Across from Praça XV, there are two old churches side-by-side. The 3rd Order of Carmo is the one on the right, if you are facing the churches. The church was constructed between 1755-1770, though the bell towers were not completed until the 1840s.…

The Pyramid Fountain was constructed in 1789 and supplied fresh water to both city residents and ships for 99 years. The location of the fountain marks the original shoreline, while the contour of the plaza as you see it today was not built out until…

Founded in 1590 by Benedictine monks from Bahia, this is one of the oldest colonial sites in Rio de Janeiro. The church construction began in 1633. Built with stolen labor of captured Africans and financed through sugarcane production, the…

This church was built in 1735 when 2 different dissedent Brotherhoods decided to join forces—The Brown Brotherhood of Our Lady of Conception (1721) and Our Lady of the Assumption and Good Death (1663). Mestre Valentim carved the high altar and the…

One of the largest churches in the city of Rio de Janeiro, San Francisco de Paula was constructed between 1759 to 1801. Mestre Valentim's decorative work was carved between 1801 and his death in 1813. The church is open daily for visitation —…

Passeio Público (Public Promenade) is tauted as the first public park in all of Latin America; the location of the first public art in all of Brazil; and as the location of the first cast bronze sculpture in all of South America. Those are some…

Raymundo Ottoni de Castro Maya (1894-1968) was, among many other things, an avid art collector. Chácara do Céu was his home and he left it—along with his collection—to the public. At the top of the stairs, on the top floor, you will see two very…

"To the thirsty people, the Senate gave water in abundance. Year 1786"The construction of this fountain started in 1785 and was completed in 1786. It still stands today on Rua Frei Caneca, next to the famous Sambadrome where the annual Carnival…

Chafariz do Saracuras or the Wood Rail Fountain stands today in the middle of General Osório plaza in the neighborhood of Ipanema, where Rio's famed Hippie Fair takes place every Sunday from 9:00am to 5:00pm.The fountain, built in 1795, was…

The Mallard Fountain (Chafariz das Marrecas) was built in 1785 as a public service water fountain. Located at what is now the corner of Rua Evaristo da Veiga and Rua das Marrecas, it was demolished in 1896 to make room for the expansion of the police…

The absolutely breath-taking statues of Narcissus the Hunter and Echo the Nymph were originally part of the Chafariz das Marrecas, the Mallard Fountain. Constructed in 1785, the fountain was demolished in 1896 and the statues were removed. Now…