São João del Rei
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São João del Rei, also spelled São João del Rey or São João del-Rei, is a historical city in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Population: 85,000 inhabitants. (2012)
São João del-Rei was founded in the 18th century and has a great number of buildings from that era, including more than 70 churches. It was there where Tiradentes, the leader of the Inconfidência Mineira, was born in 1746.
Gold, animal husbandry and agriculture aided the development and progression of the former town, given city status on December 8, 1838.
The city is served by Pref. Octávio de Almeida Neves Airport and by the woodburning steam railway to the colonial town of Tiradentes.
Cathedrals and churches
- Catedral Basílica do Pilar (1721), seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of São João del Rei
- Rosário (1720)
- Carmo (1733)
- Mercês e Bonfim (1769)
- São Francisco de Assis (1774)
- Senhor dos Montes Santo Antônio
- N. Sra. da Piedade do Bom Despacho (antiga capela da Cadeia)
Famous people from São João del Rey
- Tiradentes (Brazilian national hero)
- Tancredo Neves (former Brazilian president)
- Lucas Moreira Neves (Brazilian cardinal)
- Antônio de Almeida Lustosa
- Arthur Del Vecchio
- Balbino Cândido da Cunha
- Bárbara Heliodora
- Chico Lobo
- Custódio Ferreira Leite
- Domiciano Leite Ribeiro
- Domingos Custódio Guimarães
- Eduardo Ernesto da Gama Cerqueira
- Felisberto Caldeira Brant
- Francisco José Teixeira
- Giaccobbe Del Vecchio
- Gilberto Carlos Fonseca
- Gilberto Pereira de Oliveira
- Jair Del Vecchio
- João Bosco Oliver de Faria
- José Aires Gomes
- José Maria Xavier
- Manuel Jacinto Nogueira da Gama
- Otto Lara Resende
- Miguel Afonso de Andrade Leite
- Ronaldo Simões Coelho
- Sebastião de Oliveira Cintra
- Sebastião Sette Câmara
- Wilson de Paiva
- Wellington da Silva Piolho
Estrada de Ferro Oeste de Minas
São João del Rei was an important station on the Estrada de Ferro Oeste de Minas, a narrow gauge railway characterised by woodburning steam locomotives, and the location of a major roundhouse. The station and surrounding facilities have been turned into Brazil's largest railway museum, and a tourist railway operates from the station to the well preserved colonial Tiradentes.
References
External links
¤ (Portuguese) Guia Turistico e Histórico de São João Del Rei
- (Portuguese) Municipal website
- Guia del Rei
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Coordinates: 21°08′09″S 44°15′43″W / 21.13583°S 44.26194°W