Direção-Geral do Património Cultural

History
The town of Goiás, former capital of the Goiás State, is located in Central Brazil.
According to the 17th century guide book by the Jesuit priest Manuel Correia, on his apostolic mission to Goiás, the expedition commander Bartolomeu Bueno da Silva explored the region in search for gold deposits, after which he returned to São Paulo.
Forty years later, his son Bartolomeu was given instructions by the Government of S. Paulo to command a hundred men expedition to the region. They settled in Barra and Ouro Fino, and later in Ferreiro and Santana. Santana was elevated to the category of town in the 1730s, and given the name of Vila Boa de Goiás, in remembrance of its founder Bueno, and the first Goiás Indians who inhabited the region.

Description
The civil architecture in Goiás is modest in form, as can be seen in its building materials and architectural design.
Its religious architecture, however, is more focussed on noble materials, works of art and decorative elements.
Attention is drawn to a number of monuments in its historic centre, such as its fountain, the Church of Boa Morte, the former Governor’s Palace and the Rodrigo Moraes Jardim mansion.
The Fountain square, turned into a plaza, dates from the 18th century, and preserves is original paving pattern.
The Church of Nossa Senhora da Boa Morte, begun in 1797 and completed in 1826, was originally the military Chapel of Saint Anthony. It was transferred to a brotherhood known as Confraria dos Homens Pardos. When the Saint Anne Church collapsed, it became the parish church. Currently it houses Góias Sacred Arts Museum.
The former Governor’s Palace was commissioned by Governor Álvares Xavier Botelho, Count of S. Miguel. It was a governor’s residence and a government seat until 1937, when the state capital was transferred to Goiânia.
The Rodrigo Moraes Jardim mansion belonged to José Rodrigues Jardim, president of the Goiás province from 1831 to 1837. It was an adobe construction from the end of the 18th century. It has a roof projection reflecting a Portuguese influence.

Chaim, Marivone Matos, Sociedade Colonial (Goiás – 1749-1822), 2ª ed., Goiânia, Culture Secretariat, 1987.

Silva, Colemar Natal e, História de Goiás, 3ª ed., Goiânia, Agência Goiana de Cultura Pedro Ludovico Teixeira, Instituto Goiano do Livro, 2002.

Guia dos Bens Tombados. Brasil, Coordenação de Maria Elisa Carrazzoni, Rio de Janeiro, Expressão e Cultura with Cultural Support from Caixa Econômica Federal, 1987.