Patio do Colegio

Founding

The city of São Paulo was founded here in 1554

The Pátio do Colégio marks the site where the city was founded in 1554. The date that marks the beginning of São Paulo is January 25, 1554, when the priests celebrated the inaugural mass of the Jesuit school.

A plateau

The village stood on a plateau between two rivers

The mission was set up by the Jesuits Manuel da Nóbrega, José de Anchieta and others. The village stood on a plateau between the Tamanduateí and the Anhangabaú, linked to the coast by a precarious path through the rainforest.

Rebuilt

The church collapsed in 1896 and was rebuilt in 1953

In 1759 the Jesuits had to leave again, and the colonial buildings were rebuilt in different styles. In 1896 the church collapsed, though the tower survived. In 1953 the area was given back to the Jesuit order and rebuilt in its sober Mannerist style.

The museum

A museum for Father José de Anchieta opened here in 1979

The Anchieta Museum holds colonial paintings, altarpieces and sculptures. Portraits of José de Anchieta and António Vieira are highlights, and a scale model shows the area at the time of the founding of São Paulo.

600items in the Anchieta Museum, from altarpieces to documents

Conflict

The Jesuits clashed with settlers over indigenous slave labour

Settlers used indigenous slave labour and profited from the slave trade. The bandeirantes led expeditions into the hinterland to capture Amerinds. The conflict with the Jesuits led to their expulsion in 1640, and they returned in 1653.