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Going To Brazil
April / May 2008

Brazil Flag Olinda Flag Brazil

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Market in Olinda, Brazil Olinda is a small town just 6 kilometers away from Recife. We spent a whole day there.

Like Salvador, Olinda has an upper and a lower city. You’ve got churches and beautiful colonial buildings everywhere.
From the upper city the view you have a magic view of the ocean and the nearby metropolis of Recife.
Street in Olinda, Brazil
 Olinda was founded by the Portuguese in 1535, although Caetés and Tupinambá indigenous tribes populated the area before.

The city and the surrounding areas were disputed by Portuguese, Dutch and French forces.
Masks in Olinda
 Today Olinda has a population of some 400 000 residents. It's a religious and cultural center, with many churches and a very active cultural scene.

It's one of the best preserved colonial cities in Brazil, thus it's protected by Unesco as part of the World Heritage list.
Seminario Nossa Senhora Das Gracas, Olinda, Brazil All year round there are cultural events organized in Olinda: live music, litterature evenings, art fairs... Olinda was chosen to be the first Brazilian Capital of Culture (Capital Brasileira da Cultura - CBC) in 2006, by the ministries of Culture and Tourism in cooperation with UNESCO.

Olinda's Carnival is also one of the most important and colourful from Brazil, with the ones from Rio and Salvador.
Seminario Nossa Senhora Das Gracas, Olinda, Brazil There's a church in almost every corner in Olinda. Most date from the 15th Century, although some were reconstructed after the Dutch burned them in 1631.

On this picture and the one above, the Monastery Nossa Senhora Das Graças, dating from the 16th Century.
Metal Traveller in Olinda, Brazil To evangelize as many Indians and Africans as possible, Portugal encouraged religious orders to come to Olinda.
Igreja de São Pedro - Church of Saint Peter, Olinda, Brazil This is one is the Church of Saint Peter, built by the end of the 18th century. The Order of Peter left Olinda and I don't know who owns the chuch today.
Olinda: Igreja do Carmo - Church of Carmo This is Church of Saint Anthony of Carmo, which dates from 1580. It was the first Carmelite Church in Brazil.

IPHAN is the Brazilian Institute for Administration of National Heritage. They set their office in Olinda inside the Church of Carmo.
But instead of protecting the church, they started to make incompatible changes, like the stairs in iron and concrete to access the offices.

Restoration is going on...
Church of Sé or Church of Saint Savior of the World, Olinda, Brazil This is the Church of Sé, also named Church of Saint Saviour of the World.
It is located on top of the Alto da Sé hill, making it the highest place in Olinda.

It was built in 1535 and in 1676 it became the cathedral of Olinda and Recife.

During the Dutch occupation it was turned into a Protestant temple.
Church of Sé or Church of Saint Savior of the World, Olinda, Brazil The interior is richly decorated with paintings and sculptures around the altars.

According to the legend, the name Olinda comes from the words "Oh, linda situação para construir uma vila".
Those words are supposed to be said by Duarte Coelho Pereira, who founded the city, when getting this breathtaking view from the Alto da Sé hill.
Igreja da Misericórdia - Church of Mercy, Olinda, Brazil You will find the Church of Our Lady of Luz (which means Light or illumination in Portuguese) at the Alto da Misericórdia (Heights of Mercy).

It was built in 1540 with an adjacent hospital. This hospital was the first in Brazil and was named Santa Casa de Misericórdia (Holy House of Mercy), so the church is better known as Igreja da Misericórdia, or Church of Mercy.
Igreja da Conceição - Church of Conception The Church and convent of Our Lady of Conception was built in the 16th century, but was abandoned during the Dutch period. For centuries, the convent served as shelter for abandoned women.

Today the convent is home of the Doroteas Sisters (Irmãs Dorotéas). Those Sisters can't have any contact with the outside world, it's said that not even for medical assistance...
Sculptures at the Arte Restaurant and Bar, Olinda, Brazil We had lunch at the Arte restaurant and bar, which has a great location overlooking the sea.
The decoration is very nice and there's an arts and crafts shop beside.

Well, what was supposed to be a honeymoon ended on the next day and it was time to fly back to Europe.
Of course I was happy to visit Brazil but the trip had a bad taste because of personal problems. Our wedding was cancelled, I tried to arrange things for a few months, but it didn't work. Anyway, evrything happens for a reason and I feel a lot better without her now.


Condor has direct flights between Recife and Frankfurt and we could catch their 99€ offer.
On the way back home we spent a day in Mainz, Germany.
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