The Convento da Ajuda was the first women's convent in Rio de Janeiro. Inaugurated on March 30, 1750, it had 23 novices in its first year, reaching 57 by 1766. It was considered an elite convent because the nuns generally came from wealthy families. The convent's church was one of the most sumptuous in the city.
The Saracuras fountain is a work by Mestre Valentim and was inaugurated in 1795 in the convent's inner courtyard. Since 1917, it has been located in Praça Gen. Osório, in Ipanema.
Image description: The image is an old black-and-white photograph. In the center, there is a monument with a square structure and a central column. On the left, there is a small tree and a white building with a sloped roof. On the right, there is a large palm tree. In the background, there is another building similar to the first one. At the bottom of the image, there is legible text mentioning "Convento da Ajuda" and "Fonte das Saracuras Rio-26-6-11".Chafariz das Saracuras. Imagem retirada de Biblioteca Nacional
In the following photo, we see the convent in 1907, with the Palácio Monroe in the background; note the Av. Central (present-day Rio Branco) complete, with lampposts separating the traffic lanes, and part of Praça Floriano (which would later be expanded using part of the Convent's land). After the urban reforms carried out by Pereira Passos and the construction of the imposing buildings facing Praça Floriano (the Centro Cultural da Justiça Federal, former STF headquarters - 1907, the Museu Nacional de Belas Artes - 1908, the Teatro Municipal - 1909, and the Biblioteca Nacional - 1910), the Convento da Ajuda came to clash with the eclectic, French-influenced architectural ensemble formed there.
Image description: This is an old black-and-white photograph of a convent. On the left side, we see a structure with a dome and tower, while the center and right are occupied by lower buildings, forming a large façade. In the background, there are mountains covered with vegetation. In front of the convent, there is a square with a few people walking and some parked cars.The convent was then sold to Cia. Light & Power, which intended to build a 300-room hotel. The project never got off the ground, but the complex was demolished anyway, in 1911. The land remained abandoned for a while and was later temporarily occupied by Parque Centenário, an amusement park owned by businessman Francisco Serrador.
Image description: The image is a photograph of a historic building, likely a convent, with classical architecture. On the left side, there is a vertical structure with metal elements and a green post. In the center, there is a stone staircase leading to the upper level of the building. On the right, there is a metal fence with railings and a leafy tree. The main building is white, with several rounded windows and a circular detail at the top center. The clear blue sky indicates good weather.Imagem retirada de: https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convento_da_Ajuda
A few years later, in the early 1920s, the park gave way to the group of buildings that housed cinemas and theaters, also conceived by the famous businessman, and the area became known as Cinelândia - Photo 5. The nuns were transferred to Tijuca and, later, to a building in Vila Isabel that still exists today. The Nossa Senhora de Conceição da Ajuda community is one of the last cloistered convents in Brazil. Until 1970, the nuns couldn't even leave to see a doctor. The convent is one of the most important producers of communion wafers in Rio and supplies almost all of the city's churches.
