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The city of Salvador was founded in 1549 by Tomé de Souza and most of the large buildings were erected after 1624, following the wars against the Dutch.
They make up the historic center of the city of Salvador de Bahia.
The Historic Center of Salvador is extremely rich in historical monuments dating from the 17th to the 19th century. Salvador was Brazil’s first colonial capital and the city is one of the oldest in the New World (founded in 1549 by Portuguese colonizers).
It was also the continent’s first slave market, with slaves arriving to work on the sugar plantations.
This area is in the oldest part of the city, Salvador’s Cidade Alta. It comprises several blocks around the triangular Largo and is the place for music, restaurants and nightlife.
In the 1990s, an effort was made to restore it, which resulted in it becoming a highly desirable tourist attraction.
In 1985 it was honored as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Historic Center is famous for its many streets, including churches, cafés, restaurants, stores and pastel-colored buildings. Police officers patrol the area to ensure safety.
Videos about the Attractions of Salvador’s Historic Center
Barra e Pelourinho
Igreja e Convento de São Francisco
Centro Histórico de Salvador da Bahia04:13
5 Atrações INCRÍVEIS no Centro Histórico de Salvador04:13
Largo do Pelourinho em Salvador01:24
Terreiro de Jesus em Salvador01:00
História do Palácio Rio Branco em Salvador
Palácio Rio Branco em Salvador - Reportagem02:48
See also Main tourist attractions of Salvador da Bahia
Tourist attractions in Pelourinho
1. Largo do Pelourinho
In the Historic Center you can visit Largo do Pelourinho, with the Casa de Jorge Amado Foundation, housed in one of the 17th-century townhouses, which are also home to a wide range of art shops, museums, bars and restaurants.
The place has a lively nightlife and on Tuesdays you can see the famous Olodum percussion group perform.
Largo do Pelourinho, officially Praça José de Alencar, is a street in the heart of the oldest part of the city of Salvador, on the Bay, in Brazil.
Right next to the old Portas do Carmo, near the Terreiro de Jesus and one of the most famous Baroque churches in the Americas, formed by the churches of the Ordem Terceira de São Francisco, all in gilded woodwork; São Francisco; do Rosário dos Pretos; do Passo and the imposing Cathedral-Basilica, formerly the Igreja do Colégio dos Padres, where the poet Gregório de Matos studied and where Father Antônio Vieira preached.
Largo do Pelourinho is so called because for many years it was a place of torture, where the condemned were exposed, tied to the pillory, to the eyes of passers-by and to public execration.
A lot of blood flowed down the round paving stones, polished by time, especially the blood of the blacks who were beaten, who often died right there, victims of their desire for liberation and the cruelty of their masters.
In this place, the scene of so many tragedies, the scene of so much pain, but also of intense beauty, reproduced in photos all over the world, a must-see postcard for anyone visiting the city of Salvador, stands the House of Jorge Amado.
2. Terreiro de Jesus
In the early 1550s, when Salvador was founded by Governor-General Tomé de Sousa, the Jesuits received an area to the north of the new city from the governor, on which the priests of the order led by Manuel da Nóbrega built the first small mud chapel and the first building of the Jesuit College in the city.
Due to the presence of the priests of the Society of Jesus, the square opposite became known as Terreiro de Jesus. The Jesuit college building was completed in 1590, but before that, in 1584, Gabriel Soares de Sousa (“Notícia do Brasil”, 1587) recorded that “…a sumptuous college of the priests of the Society of Jesus, with a beautiful and cheerful church…” occupies this yard and part of the street on the seafront.
The first little church built on the site in the 16th century was very small and fragile, and between 1652 and 1672 the Jesuits built a sumptuous church on the site, considered the most imposing of the Brazilian 17th century.
The Mannerist façade of the church, built with blocks of lioz stone brought from Portugal, still dominates the square.
The interior is made up of magnificent gilded altarpieces in Mannerist and Baroque styles, as well as the carved wooden ceiling and the sacristy.
In 1933, after the old Cathedral of Salvador was demolished, the Jesuit church became the new Cathedral of Salvador.
In addition to the cathedral, the Terreiro houses the Convent and Church of São Francisco, the Church of the Third Order of São Francisco, the Church of the Third Order of São Domingos and the Church of São Pedro dos Clérigos. These temples, especially the first two, are prime examples of Brazilian colonial art.
At the beginning of the 19th century, the building of the former Jesuit College was used as a hospital and, in 1833, Brazil’s first medical school was established there. The colonial building was lost in a fire in 1905 and replaced by another in the eclectic style.
3. Igreja e Convento de São Francisco
Another must-see is the Church and Convent of São Francisco. This small convent, whose construction began in 1591, was later expanded with the church of the same name.
Its altars are covered in gold; the choir and sacristy are masterpieces carved from rosewood. Take a look at the ceiling of the convent’s gatehouse, depicting an apotheosis to the Virgin, which seems to change as you move around the grounds.
The tiles depict scenes from the monks’ contemplative life. In the cloister on the first floor there are 37 tile panels inspired by engravings by the Flemish painter Otto Van Veen. It’s worth a look, it’s really beautiful!
4. Rio Branco Palace in Salvador
The Rio Branco Palace, with its beautiful iron and crystal staircase, built at the beginning of the 20th century and designed by the Italian architect Julio Conti, is open to visitors, with an exhibition of period furniture, silverware and faience.
Leaving the Rio Branco Palace, you’ll be ready to visit the Lower City, taking the Elevador Lacerda.
Take the opportunity to stop by the Tourist Information Office and pick up some leaflets explaining everything you’ve seen and can see in Salvador.
To get to know everything in the Historic Center, visiting the churches, the museums, looking at the stores, taking photos with the Bahian women and enjoying the view from the Belvedere, you’ll need at least a day; a good idea is to have lunch at the SENAC school restaurant in Pelourinho, which serves excellent typical food.
Attractions in the Historic Center of Salvador de Bahia
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