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City Hall collapses Molhe Imperial de Pedra, on Sepetiba Beach
Published on 25/08/2023 - 13:14 | Updated on 25/08/2023 - 17:44
The Imperial Stone Pier is located at the end of Sepetiba beach - Rio City Hall On Thursday (24/8), through the Rio de Janeiro Institute as a World Heritage Site (IRPH), the Rio de Janeiro City Hall declared the Imperial Stone Pier, located at the end of Sepetiba Beach, in the city's West Zone, a landmark. Also known as Cais Imperial or Cais da Imperatriz, the Pier was built in 1884, at the end of the Brazilian Empire, to facilitate the transportation of goods and the movement of the population at the time.
– One of the duties of the IRPH is to research and study assets and sites that tell the story of our city. Built with interlocking stones, the Imperial Stone Pier is a surviving example of this type of construction, which is very characteristic of civil engineering from that time. Once the IRPH technical team has identified the historical and cultural interest of the Pier, it is our duty to propose specific legislation to the mayor for its protection. This landmark decree is the result of a lot of work and an extensive technical study by the team – said Laura Di Blasi, president of the IRPH.
With a total length of approximately 700 meters, the breakwater served to facilitate port access in Sepetiba, acting as a path for embarking and disembarking on the beach. The architectural function of the stone breakwater was undone at the beginning of the XNUMXth century. However, today this element serves to reveal the history of this place as an important port in the past, linked to the functions of the Santa Cruz Farm, founded by the Jesuits, and to the urban development of Sepetiba.
– It is very important that we pay close attention to the wealth of cultural heritage that we have in the West Zone of Rio. This study was carried out in great detail by the Registry and Research Department. We georeferenced the paths that were used and spoke to residents and organizations in the region to highlight this history – commented Juliana Oakim, deputy registry and research manager at IRPH.
According to the municipal agency's study, several stretches of Sepetiba Bay were part of trade and transportation routes until the end of the 1884th century. The Rio-São Paulo Navigation Company began managing the Tram Line and the Santa Cruz Navigation, with steam-powered boats, between Sepetiba, Itacuruçá, Mangaratiba, Angra dos Reis and Paraty. In May XNUMX, the Jornal do Commercio published information that the Molhe de Pedra was being built to connect the mainland to Ilha da Pescaria, in Sepetiba.
The name Molhe Imperial de Pedra comes from its configuration, which resembles a continuous stone jetty, with no function as a landfill or breakwater, and no evidence of moorings, as is the case on a pier, for example. It was built to serve as a path to the island, where vessels could anchor at its tip. Today, the Molhe de Pedra stretch is accessible to the public only with authorization from the Santa Cruz Air Base.
Listing is a protection instrument, carried out by means of an act of public authority, which aims to protect the historical and cultural value of a place. The Molhe Imperial de Pedra received a definitive listing after a decree published in the Official Gazette of the municipality. From now on, any physical interventions to be carried out on the listed property must be previously instructed by the IRPH, an agency linked to the Municipal Secretariat of Urban Planning, and approved by the Municipal Council for the Protection of the Cultural Heritage of Rio de Janeiro, as determined by the Master Plan in force.
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