Founding
municipality of Paraíba state, Brazil
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João Pessoa ( ZHWOWN pə-SOH-ə; Portuguese: [ʒuˈɐ̃w peˈsoɐ]) is a port city in northeastern Brazil. It is the largest city and capital of the state of Paraíba, with an estimated population of 888,679 (as of 2024). It is located on the right bank of the Paraíba do Norte river.
The new "Estação Ciência, Cultura e Artes" (Science, Culture and Art Station), located at the most eastern point of the Americas (Ponta do Seixas), is an educational and cultural institution as well as a national landmark. The complex, inaugurated in 2008, was created by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer and is one of his final projects.
The capital of Paraíba received the title of Creative City by UNESCO in 2017, appointing João Pessoa as "Brazilian city of handicrafts".
In 1534, King John III of Portugal divided the colony into hereditary captaincies, with Paraíba being subordinated to the Captaincy of Itamaracá, extending from the Guaju River to the Goiana River. The Captaincy of Paraíba was created only in 1574, after the attack on Tracunhaém, a sugar mill in the Captaincy of Itamaracá. However, the new captaincy would only be effectively occupied eleven years later, after five expeditions attempted to conquer it, the first four of which ended in failure.
To repel invaders, on May 1, 1584, the Fort of São Filipe was built on the left bank of the Paraíba River, on land that today belongs to the district of Forte Velho, in Santa Rita, an area inhabited by the Potiguara Indigenous people. The fort, however, suffered constant attacks from French corsairs and the Potiguaras and was abandoned less than a year later, being set on fire in June 1585. Earlier that same year, in February, the Tabajara Indigenous people, led by Piragibe, arrived in Paraíba and settled on the left bank of the river. Initially allies, the Tabajaras soon became rivals of the Potiguaras and entered into conflict both with them and with the Portuguese colonizers.
A peace agreement between the Portuguese and the Tabajaras, represented by Piragibe, was sealed on August 5, 1585, thereby consolidating the conquest of Paraíba. This accord allowed the beginning of settlement in the region starting on October 31, 1585, in an area at the mouth of the Sanhauá River, named Porto do Capim, located in the lower part of what is now the Varadouro neighborhood. On November 4 of the same year, construction began on the city's fortress. Some historians consider this date to be the true foundation of Cidade Real de Nossa Senhora das Neves — rather than August 5. This fort, often confused with the Varadouro Fort (built only in the 1630s), lasted only a few years and by the late 1600s was already in ruins.
Between 1585 and 1586, on top of a hill, a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of the Snows (Nossa Senhora das Neves) began to be built. It quickly became the parish church, whose first vicar was Father João Vas Sallem, appointed on October 30, 1586. To connect this hill (Cidade Alta, or Upper City) to the mouth of the Sanhauá River (Cidade Baixa, or Lower City), a road was opened, identified by some historians as the Ladeira de São Francisco and by others as the Ladeira da Borborema. In 1588, the city was renamed Filipeia de Nossa Senhora das Neves in honor of King Philip II of Spain (Philip I of Portugal), who at the time ruled both Portugal and Spain under the Iberian Union (1580–1640). In 1599, after a peace agreement with the Potiguaras, Filipeia de Nossa Senhora das Neves became known as Parahyba.
The early years following the city's foundation were also marked by the arrival of religious orders, including the Franciscans, Carmelites, and Benedictines. In 1589, Friar Melchior de Santa Catarina, custodian of the Franciscans, arrived in the city to establish a mission. The colonial government offered land for the construction of a convent, which the friar approved. The project was designed by Friar Francisco dos Santos, and construction began in 1590, though it was later halted at an uncertain date between 1592 and 1596. The work resumed only in 1602 and was completed in 1608.
It is believed that the Carmelites arrived around 1591, although they began building their convent only after 1600. In 1595, Friar Damião da Fonseca, representing the Benedictines, arrived in Filipeia and requested from the captaincy's governor, Feliciano Coelho de Carvalho, a plot of land for the construction of a monastery, which also began around 1600. The land for the monastery, located a few meters from the parish church, belonged to Vicar Sallem.
The first Dutch attempt to conquer the Captaincy of Paraíba occurred between December 5 and 10, 1631, but ended in failure. To prevent new invasions and ensure the captaincy's security, two forts were built: Santo Antônio and Restinga. A new attempt followed in February 1634, again without success. Only on the third attempt, on December 24, 1634, did the Dutch manage to enter the city without resistance, prompting the local population to flee to rural areas and abandon the settlement, which was renamed Frederica — Frederikstad in Dutch – in honor of Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange.
At the time, the city had about 1,500 inhabitants and nineteen sugar mills, most of which were seized by the invaders. The Franciscans were expelled from their convent, which was converted into a fortress (1636). The Portuguese only recognized Dutch rule in 1637, acknowledging the colony of New Holland, which extended from the São Francisco River to present-day Ceará.
Elias Herckmans, who governed the captaincy between 1636 and 1639, described the city as follows:
In 1645, the Pernambuco Insurrection broke out – a revolt against Dutch domination in Brazil. Among its leaders was André Vidal de Negreiros, born in the captaincy at the Engenho São João (current São João do Cariri), who took part in all stages of the movement, including both Battles of Guararapes in 1648 and 1649. The First Anglo-Dutch War (1652–1655) weakened Dutch power in the Northeast, leading the invaders to sign their surrender on January 26, 1654, leaving the captaincy in ruins. However, it was only in 1661 that the Netherlands officially recognized Portuguese sovereignty over northeastern Brazil through the Treaty of The Hague. With the end of the occupation, Frederica reverted to the name Parahyba do Norte. In 1671, the Church of Our Lady of the Snows had most of its structure demolished, except for the nave. The rebuilding of the temple, interrupted several times, lasted over a century and was completed only in the late 18th century.
In August 1704, the captain-major of Paraíba, Fernando de Barros e Vasconcelos, ordered the construction of the Powder House (Casa de Pólvora) on the Ladeira de São Francisco, which lasted until 1710. On September 24, 1729, the cornerstone of the Church of Our Lady of Mercy (Igreja de Nossa Senhora das Mercês) was laid, and it was consecrated on September 21, 1741. In 1763, the Portuguese sailor Sílvio Siqueira, while navigating off the coast of Paraíba, faced a violent storm at sea. Gathering his crew, he prayed to Our Lady of Penha, to whom he was devoted, asking for the tempest to subside. Moments later, the storm weakened, and the crew disembarked at what is now Penha Beach, where a shrine dedicated to the Virgin was built. Around the same decade, circa 1767, the Church of Our Lady Mother of Men (Nossa Senhora Mãe dos Homens) was founded.
Still in the 18th century, the city entered a period of decline, leading to the extinction of the Captaincy of Paraíba in 1756, when it was annexed to the Captaincy of Pernambuco. Paraíba would only regain its status as a separate political unit in January 1799, when its autonomy was restored.
On September 7, 1822, Brazil became politically independent from Portugal, and Paraíba became a province of the Empire of Brazil, with the City of Parahyba as its capital. At that time, the city had about three thousand inhabitants. In the same year, the city received its first public lighting system, consisting of twenty oil lamps fueled by castor oil. By 1828, the capital already had 5,816 residents and 2,119 houses, most made of thatch or mud walls. The following year, public lighting was reinforced, and the City of Parahyba had fifty lamps in operation. On March 24, 1836, on the upper floor of the Provincial Assembly, the Lyceu Paraibano was founded, with its first statute approved on April 19, 1837.
Around 1840, the Sanhauá Bridge, also known as Baralho Bridge, was built over the Sanhauá River. It was the first connection between the City of Parahyba and the village of Barreiras – the areas that later became the neighborhoods of Baralho and São Bento, giving rise to the present-day city of Bayeux, which at that time belonged to Santa Rita. In 1847, by imperial decree, the Captaincy of the Ports was created, responsible for the administration of Porto do Capim. On January 24, 1855, the city gained its first cemetery. By 1856, due to its low efficiency, the city's public lighting system was discontinued, except during festivities and in public or commercial establishments. It was only resumed in 1885, this time using kerosene lamps.
On November 4, 1858, Provincial Law No. 13 was enacted, creating the Colégio Nossa Senhora das Neves, which was inaugurated on February 5, 1859. However, the school closed less than two years later and remained inactive until March 1895. In 1859, the city of Paraíba received a visit from Emperor Pedro II of Brazil and his wife Teresa Cristina, on which occasion it received the title of "Imperial City". When Brazil's first national census was conducted in 1872, the city's population was recorded at 24,714 inhabitants, making it the fourth most populous locality in the Province of Paraíba – after Sousa (29,726), Independencia (now Guarabira, with 28,191), and Areia (25,549).
The Santa Roza Theater, the most important theater in Paraíba and the second oldest in the state, was inaugurated on November 3, 1889. Named after the provincial president Francisco da Gama Rosa, it became a landmark of local culture. Just twelve days later, the Republic was proclaimed, transforming Paraíba from a province into a state, while the city remained its capital. Venâncio Neiva became the first state president and renamed the building Teatro do Estado (State Theatre).
On April 27, 1892, the Church of Nossa Senhora das Neves became a cathedral, following the creation of the Diocese of Paraíba through the papal bull Ad Universas Orbis Ecclesias by Pope Leo XIII. The new diocese, separated from the Diocese of Olinda (Pernambuco), covered the entire territories of Paraíba and Rio Grande do Norte. It was formally established on March 4, 1894, with the installation of its first bishop, Dom Adauto Aurélio de Miranda Henriques, who also founded the Diocesan Seminary of Paraíba Imaculada Conceição and the Diocesan College (today the Marist College Pio X). Dom Adauto was also responsible for reopening Our Lady of the Snows School (Colégio Nossa Senhora das Neves) on March 14, 1895, after more than thirty years of closure.
Starting March 2, 1895, a state law abolished the municipal council and replaced it with a mayoral system, under which the mayor was appointed by the Paraíba state governor. The first person to hold the position was Jovino Limeira Dinoá, a former provincial deputy, who served until October 1900. In 1896, the city received its first animal-drawn trams, operated by Ferro Carril Parahyba.
According to the 1900 census, the municipality had 28,793 inhabitants, a population increase of more than 50% compared to 1890 (18,645). However, Guarabira remained the most populous municipality in the state, with 40,052 inhabitants, followed by Campina Grande (38,303). At that time, the urban area of Parahyba City was limited to the region between the Sanhauá River and Irerês Lagoon. In 1906, during the administration of state president Valfredo Leal, construction began on the Tambaú Railway, the first connection between the city center and the coast. It was completed in 1911 under his successor, João Lopes Machado.
Text from the Wikipedia article “João Pessoa, Paraíba”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.