Linda Olinda

Now that I have clarified the fact that we do indeed have big buildings here in Recife, I can go back to talking about the colonial architecture. Yesterday, in honour of the visit of a colleague from Canada, we headed to Olinda, Recife's sister city, six kilometres to the north, founded in 1535. In the early days of the colony, Olinda was the regional base for the country's prosperous sugar trade and many of the state's powerful sugar barons lived in Olinda and controled the surrounding countryside. Recife was merely the port to ship the sugar out of the country, and had little political relevance.

In the early years of the 18th Century, as Recife's economic and commercial influence increased, the city's merchants struggled for increased political power. Backed by money and various factions, in the early 1700s, Recife managed to usurp Olinda's power. This change in tides led to Recife's eventual growth into a large, (mostly) modern city while Olinda retained much of its original size and infrastructure. Today, the historical centre of Olinda has become an artistic / bohemian pole, and a day in Olinda is usually spent wandering around the cobbled streets marvelling at the colourful houses, the old churches and convents, and browsing in the artists workshops and galleries. There are also some pretty good restaurants! No surprise there!

Yesterday, in addition to my traditional Olinda stops, we managed to make it inside the Monastery of São Francisco [restricted hours meant that I had never managed to visit the inside before]. The first Franciscan Order to be established in Brazil, the Monastery was founded in 1585 and has some of the most incredible examples of Portuguese tiles. I was astounded at how beautiful and well preserved they were. The photo below gives an idea of the tiles, but is actually from a church in Salvador, Bahia. I didn't bring my camera yesterday thinking, clearly mistakenly, that I had seen it all. Next time, probably when my next visitor happens along, I will definitely not make this mistake!

Olinda with Recife in the background


The Cobbled Streets of Olinda


Convento São Francisco


Portuguese Tiles [actually from Salvador, Bahia]


Basílico Sao Bento