Best of Brazil: The Old São Luís Music Conservatory

On one of my more recent ventures into downtown São Luís I happened to see a post card of a beautiful facade in a local bookstore. I had never noticed such a building in all my wanderings in the historical district.

Later on that afternoon I found myself looking through a fence at an enticingly shaded garden area, and at the end of the garden, the building I had seen earlier in the post-card. A friendly gardener named João informed me that there was an entrance around front. It turns out that this former mansion is now used as a music conservatory.

When I went in the front, I was a little disappointed. All the old-world charm has been removed from that part of the building, and been replaced by impersonal desks and counter tops, manned by equally impersonal government employees. When I inquired about seeing the inside of the mansion, they waved me back, giving me a look as if to say “sure, go ahead, if you think you’ll see anything interesting”.

I am so glad I didn’t let them bring me down!

Once I got past the criminally modernized front section of the building, and climbed a stone staircase to the second floor, I found myself in a world of three centuries ago. Another staircase (this one metal) took me to the third floor. The final staircase was wooden, and appears to have been installed by the original builders.

Taking my life in my hands, I climbed the precarious spiral staircase to the fourth floor. There, light flooded in from a window, and I was drawn to a handrail. There I stood–as perhaps some 18th century cotton baron had stood–and caught my breath at the spectacular view presented to me. The entire Reviver (or Praia Grande) historical district was laid out before my eyes.

In the background I could hear music students singing lines from an opera, interrupted at various intervals by their Italian professors. With little effort I could place myself in the São Luís of yesteryear.

Recently I watched a Brazilian movie set in the colonial period. The story is based on facts that took place in 18th century Rio, but to film those scenes, they used 20th century São Luís, specifically the Reviver district. If you come to visit us, this amazing section of our city will be one of our first stops.

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And be sure to read the action-packed adventures of Missionary Max: Missionary Max and the Jungle Princess and Missionary Max and the Lost City.