MonumentoaSãoSebastião-PraçaLuísdeCamões-Glória

This plaque is part of the 'Lapa/Glória' circuit. Click here to see all the circuits.

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Listen to the story of St. Sebastian.

Image description: The image is a photograph of a monument located in a square. On the left, there is a large, dense tree, while on the right, there are multi-story residential buildings. In the center, atop a square pedestal, stands a statue of a nude man holding a dead animal in his hands. The clear blue sky with a few scattered clouds is above.

Inaugurated in 1965, the year of Rio de Janeiro's Fourth Centenary, a statue installed in Praça Luís de Camões (Glória), 7 meters tall, honors Saint Sebastian, the city's patron saint since its founding in the 16th century.

When the Portuguese Estácio de Sá landed in Guanabara Bay in March 1565, he ordered the construction, near the hills of Cara de Cão and Pão de Açúcar, of a chapel in honor of São Sebastião, to whom he was devoted. Right there, before the priests Manuel da Nóbrega and José de Anchieta, he founded the city of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro. By naming the city after the Catholic saint, Estácio was also paying tribute to the king of Portugal, the young Dom Sebastião, who was not only devoted to the saint but was also born on January 20th, the date consecrated to São Sebastião. And the figure of the saint was present at several notable moments in Rio's history.

Image description: The image is a tile painting depicting a historical scene. On the left side, we see an indigenous man wearing a white band and holding a bow and arrow. Beside him stands a man dressed in traditional European clothing, including a hat and a sword. In the central part, there is a man standing with a sword and a shield, wearing a blue shirt and red trousers. In front of him is a naked baby, held by another figure. On the right, we see two more men in European attire, one of them holding a book. The scene appears to portray an interaction between indigenous peoples and colonizers, with distinct historical and cultural elements.

It is said that in July 1566, during the Battle of the Canoes, in the waters of Guanabara Bay, an apparition of Saint Sebastian wielding a sword aided the Portuguese victory against the Franco-Tamoio alliance. Furthermore, it was on Saint Sebastian's Day that the Portuguese — allied with the Tupiniquim people — definitively expelled the French from Rio de Janeiro, after winning the Battle of Uruçumirim on January 20, 1567 — in the region of the present-day neighborhood of Glória, where the statue stands. Coincidentally, it was during this battle that Estácio de Sá was wounded by a poisoned arrow that caused his death a few weeks later. His body was buried in the same chapel he had built on the occasion of the city's founding.

Image description: This is a painting depicting a historical scene in a park. On the left side, we see soldiers armed with shields and spears, arranged in formation. At the center, two figures are in confrontation, one standing and the other lying on the ground, surrounded by war equipment. On the right, a man stands, looking at the other figure. In the background, there is a classical architectural structure, surrounded by trees. The predominant color is the green of the leaves, contrasting with the darker tones of the soldiers and the ground.

And amid so many "coincidences," arrows are also an important part of the story of the saint who, despite usually being depicted with his body pierced by them, actually died from a beating in the 3rd century. Of French origin and born in the year 256, Sebastian moved to Milan while still a child. As a young man, he enlisted in the Roman military service, rising to the rank of captain of the Praetorian Guard — responsible for the emperor's personal protection. At that time, Christianity was forbidden and Christians were persecuted. Sebastian was a Christian and used his position to bring comfort to prisoners who professed the same faith. However, he was discovered by Emperor Diocletian, who ordered his death by arrows. Sebastian survived and was rescued by a Christian woman — who would later be canonized as Saint Irene of Rome.

Image description: This is a painting depicting a dramatic moment. On the left side, we see a female figure with a red and white veil, holding the arm of a nude man, who is being carried by another male figure on the right. The nude man is wounded, with a bow and arrow visible on his body. The male figure on the right wears a white turban and yellow clothing. On the ground, in the background, are metal suits of armor. The predominant color is black, with the red of the veil and the white of the turban standing out.

After his recovery, he once again went to the emperor to intercede for an end to the attacks on Christians. Diocletian ignored his pleas and, unmerciful, ordered that Sebastian be beaten to death and his body thrown into the city's sewers.

The martyrdom of Saint Sebastian led him to be acclaimed as a saint by the multitude of Christians who witnessed his death. However, his official canonization only took place in the 4th century, after Emperor Constantine (306-337) granted freedom of worship to Christianity.

Image description: This is an old photograph of a religious procession. The image shows a dense crowd gathered in front of an ornately decorated building. The building has several arched doorways, and flags and lights can be seen in the background. At the center of the crowd is a religious image adorned with garlands and flowers, depicting a nude figure carried aloft on a raised platform. Among the crowd are many people wearing different types of clothing, who appear to be watching or taking part in the event.

The statue located in the Glória neighborhood is the work of sculptors Dante Croce, Curzio Zani and Arnaldo Valilo, and was unveiled in 1965. The idea was to unveil it on January 20th, but, due to a delay in completing the monument, a half-size plaster mold stood in for the official statue on that occasion, which was only installed months later, in August 1965.

Image description: The image shows three logos arranged horizontally, from left to right. The first logo, on the left, is blue and white with the text "RIO CAPITAL DO G20 BRASIL 2024" and a colorful symbol. In the center, there is a blue logo with the text "RIO PREFEITURA TURISMO". On the right, an orange logo with the text "RIO MEMÓRIAS". All letters are uppercase and the background is white.