Our next destination is the historic Guaratinguetá! A city in the countryside of the state of São Paulo well known for its religious attractions and for being the land of the first Brazilian saint, Frei Galvão!
Let’s go!
Since the beginning of its history, a large number of white herons marked the landscape along the Paraíba do Sul River. The indians who lived there called the region Guaratinguetá, which in Tupi means many white herons.
A few years later, the first inhabitans settled around the old chapel in devotion to Saint Anthony, which today is the city’s cathedral, thanks to the donation of Jacques Feliz and his children. And in the year 1651, it was elevated to the category of village by Captain Domingos Luiz Leme.
Guaratinguetá, stood out as one of the main villages of the Captaincy in the Vale do Paraíba (Paraíba Valley) in the 18th century for its privileged location which granted for the village, in addition to the peridos of gold and sugar, important milestones in brazilian history.
In 1717, the Count of Assumar visited the small village of Santo Antônio de Guaratinguetá, and a fishery to produce a hearty dinner for the visitor resulted in the Discovery of an image of Nossa Senhora da Conceição (now the patron saint of Brazil), found by fishermen in the Waters of the River Paraíba, giving rise to the city of Aparecida (but that story is for another post!).
Continuing the remarkable facts, in 1739 the one who would become the first Brazilian saint was born, Antônio Galvão de França, better known as Frei Galvão. At the age of 83, Frei Galvão dies. His beatification took place on October 25, 1998, when received the titles of “Patron of Civil Construction in Brazil” and “Man of Peace and Charity”.
Going back in history... the small village receives several distinguished visitors, among them the Prince of Brazil, Dom Pedro II, who was traveling towards the Ipiranga river where he declared the Independence of Brazil from the Portuguese in 1822.
In 1844, Guaratinguetá is elevated to the category of city. And already in 1848, Francisco de Paulo Rodrigues Alves was born, future Councilor and President of the Republic (elected twice).
Pioneer in the industrialization of Vale do Paraíba Paulista, today Guaratinguetá maintains its economic value, an important religious tourist circuit and with a rich history!
TIP
If you want to visit the Conselheiro Rodrigues Alves Historical and Pedagogical Museum and the inside of the Railway Station, go during the week!
ATTRACTIONS
Guaratinguetá, is an important religious tourist circuit, where you can visit the Sanctuary and the Casa do Frei Galvão (Frei Galvão’s House), and the Gruta de Nossa Senhora de Lourdes (Nossa Senhora de Lourdes Grotto). But there are also other tourist points of interest, such as the Railway Station, the Parque Ecológico Municipal Anthero dos Santos (Anthero dos Santos Municipal Ecological Park) and several preserved mansions.
So if you want to know a little bit about this historic city, I invite you to watch my video about Guaratinguetá!!
PS: the videos are in Portuguese, so remember to activate the subtitles!
I hope you enjoyed our trip through Guaratinguetá!!
Stay tuned here to discover your next destination! Because the world is too big to visit just one destination... so let’s pack our bags and hit the road!
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