On the site of the current Palácio Tiradentes, designed in eclectic style by Archimedes Memória and Francisque Couchet, there once stood a building, erected around 1640, that housed the Casa de Câmara de Vereadores e Cadeia, better known as Cadeia Velha because of the public jail that operated on the lower floor.
Former Cadeia Velha, where the Chamber of Deputies operated until the construction of the Palácio Tiradentes. Revista do Instituto Histórico e Geográfico Brasileiro – IHGB – Volume 272 – July-September – 1966. Photo taken from Reficio
Image description: The image is an old photograph of a historic building. The spatial layout begins on the left, where we see a staircase with a few people walking. In the center, the main building has a light-colored façade, with regular windows and small balconies. On the right, there is an attached structure with similar architectural features. The background shows a street with some urban elements, such as lamp posts and a signpost. The text in the image reads: "Former Cadeia Velha, where the Chamber of Deputies operated until the construction of the Palácio Tiradentes."Besides housing the City Council and public jail, the site served as housing for the servants of the court of D. João VI when he arrived in Brazil in 1808. It also housed the National Constituent Assembly that drafted the Constitution of 1823, Brazil's first, which had just gained independence. It never came into effect due to the authoritarian decision of Dom Pedro I, who ordered the Army to lay siege to dissolve it. Finally, it was home to the Chamber of Deputies between 1826 and 1914.
Its demolition, in 1922, made way for the construction of Palácio Tiradentes, in tribute to the ensign who dreamed of independence and was imprisoned in the Cadeia Velha, from which he was taken to be hanged and quartered.
Palácio Tiradentes under construction. Image: Diário do Rio
Image description: This is a black and white photograph of a building under construction. From left to right, we see the main building, with several windows and support structures in front. In the center, there is a raised tower with intricate architectural details. On the right, the roof is covered with construction materials. In the background, other buildings and trees are visible.The new Palácio do Legislativo was inaugurated on May 6, 1926, exactly one hundred years after the country's first legislative session, with the aim of promoting a symbolic axis of continuity in national parliamentary life. “It housed the National Constituent Assembly of '33, which drafted the Constitution of '34, torn up by the '37 coup that established Getúlio Vargas's Estado Novo. Home of the law, of freedom, of the vote, it suffered the humiliation of hosting the Press and Propaganda Department, the DIP, officially charged with censoring the press. The disgrace dragged on from '39 to '45, when the Estado Novo collapsed” and the Federal Chamber resumed operating there.
The last session of the Chamber at the palace took place on April 14, 1960, a week before the inauguration of Brasília. With the change of the capital, the state of Guanabara was created and, in the Palácio Tiradentes, the Legislative Assembly of the State of Guanabara (Aleg) was installed. With the merger, in 1975, it passed to the Assembly of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Alerj).
Palácio Tiradentes today. Image: Thiago Lontra - ALERJ
Image description: This is a nighttime photograph of an illuminated palace, located in an urban square. On the left side, we see modern buildings with lit windows. In the center, there is a classic palace with columns and statues, standing out due to its yellow lighting. On the right, part of a historic tower is visible. In front of the palace, there is a large staircase and several people walking. The sky is dark, suggesting the photo was taken at night.Please share the source text you would like translated.
CORRÊA, Villas-Boas. Palácio Tiradentes - Faithful to Democracy. Rio de Janeiro State Legislative Assembly (ALERJ). 1st Ed. 2002, p. 40.
