On Rodrigues Caldas road, in Jacarepaguá, there is a farm that houses one of the city's oldest sugar mills, the Engenho da Taquara (originally "Engenho de Dentro"), better known as Fazenda da Baronesa. In the 17th century, the mill's boundaries stretched from what is now Edgard Werneck avenue, through Largo do Tanque, all the way to the Maciço da Pedra Branca. The farm changed hands several times and eventually became the property of the family of Francisco Pinto da Fonseca Telles, the Baron of Taquara. The Chapel of Nossa Senhora dos Remédios e Exaltação da Santa Cruz was built in 1738, joining the farm's main house.
Image description: The image is an old black-and-white photograph. In the foreground, we see a plot of land with sparse vegetation. In the background, there is an architectural structure made up of several buildings. On the left, there is a building with a sloped roof and vertical windows. On the right side, there is another, larger building, also with a sloped roof and vertical windows. Between them, there is an open area with tall palm trees. The spatial arrangement is linear, with the buildings laid out side by side. In the lower corner of the image, it reads "Fazenda da Taquara - Considerada pelo Governo, Monumento Nacional".The Telles de Menezes family maintained ties with the Orleans e Bragança family, and D. Pedro II was the godfather of Francisco Fonseca Telles. As a token of gratitude for his godson's services in the Paraguayan War, the emperor made him a Commander of the Order of the Rose and, in October 1882, granted him the title of Baron of Taquara. Francisco Fonseca Telles was one of the founders of the Jockey Club and a great benefactor of Jacarepaguá. He donated land for the piping of the Fortaleza, Ciganos, and Olho d`Água rivers, carried out street-paving works, contributed to the establishment of several tram lines, and founded the region's first school. Between November and December 1843, during an illness that afflicted Princess Januária, D. Pedro II decided to stay at the Engenho da Taquara, so that the princess could recover, and began conducting state affairs from there. The region, known as Sertão Carioca, was famous for being beneficial to the treatment of illnesses due to its pure air.
In July 1938, the property was declared a heritage site by IPHAN and, at the request of the barons' grandchildren, the Environmental Protection Area (APA) was created, covering approximately 100,000 m² of preserved land, with the goal of protecting the surroundings of the main house and its outbuildings. Even though it has been subdivided over the years, the Farm's main house and the Chapel still belong to the descendants of the baron of Taquara, who are responsible for preserving the heritage site.
Fazenda da Taquara. Source: IPatrimônio
Image description: This is a photograph of a historic farm called "Fazenda da Taquara". The image shows a large main building with two side wings. On the left side, there is a wing with columns and a sloped roof. In the center, the main building has blue windows and blue doors as well. On the right, there is a wing similar to the first one, but less detailed. The green lawn is well maintained, and in the center, there is a well with water. The sky is cloudy, giving the image a gray tone.
