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The city of Cachoeira in Bahia is a National Monument, listed by the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute in 1971.
Located in the Recôncavo Sul, after Salvador, it is the city in Bahia with the most important Baroque architectural collection and the largest independent cultural site in Brazil.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the wealth generated by sugar cane and tobacco gave Cachoeira power and prestige, which was reflected in the refinement of the city’s buildings, considered at the time to be the second most important in Bahia.
Cachoeira, in the Recôncavo Baiano, was the seat of government during the War of Independence. The battalions that fought in Salvador and Cachoeira against the Portuguese attacks were organised and trained there.
During this war, Maria Quitéria de Jesus Medeiros, who fought dressed as a man, stood out. Another illustrious daughter of Cachoeira was Ana Néri (1814-1880), the first woman to graduate as a nurse in the country, who took part in the Paraguayan War.
The city was also very important in the state’s economy due to its tobacco industry.
From the second half of the 19th century, factories set up on the other bank of the Paraguaçu River, where the city of São Félix is today, such as Vieira de Melo, Costa Ferreira & Penna, Dannemann, Suerdieck, Pimentel, and Cia. de Charutos Pook, produced high-quality cigars.
After the end of the sugar cycle at the beginning of the 20th century, the city began to commercialise less lucrative agricultural products.
The expansion of the light tobacco industry (cigarettes) caused the crisis to worsen with a reduction in the production of dark tobacco (cigars and cigarillos). The only remaining cigar factory is the export-orientated Dannemann in São Félix.
In 1971, Cachoeira was listed as an architectural monument for its 18th and 19th century Baroque and Neoclassical buildings.
Unfortunately, much of this heritage is in ruins, and government investment in restoring these historical relics has been trickling in. Recently, the Convento do Carmo, the Ordem Primeira do Carmo, and the Igreja da Ordem Terceira do Carmo were restored.
Work has also been carried out on the Church of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart of Monte Formoso (known as the Church of the Rosary of the Blacks).
The iron bridge over the Paraguaçu River, which links Cachoeira to São Félix, was built at the behest of Emperor Pedro II, who imported it from England. However, the bridge is not in good condition and care is needed when crossing it, whether by car or on foot.
The city is famous for its many candomblé terreiros. Its religious and June festivals are monumental, with masses, processions, lectures, typical food and samba-de-roda.
Don’t be surprised to hear visitors speaking French, English, Spanish, German or even Japanese.
At festive times, everything gets crowded, but some locals rent out rooms in their homes. Find out more at the Tourist Information Centre in Rua Ana Néri, next to the Mother Church.
Cachoeira can be reached by car, and buses leave every hour from Salvador, where you can also hire day trips to Santo Amaro, Cachoeira and São Félix, with a visit to the cigar factory.
Videos about History and Tourism in Cachoeira BA
Tourist attractions and the history of Cachoeira BA
- Hansen Bahia Museum
- Igreja Matriz Nossa Senhora do Rosário
- Irmandade Nossa Senhora da Boa Morte
- Santa Casa de Misericórdia and Santa Bárbara Chapel
- Town Hall and Jail
- Imperial Fountain
- Igreja da Ajuda
- Igreja da Ordem Terceira do Carmo
- House of Prayer of the Third Order of Carmel
- Carmo Convent
- Dannemann Cigar Factory
- House of Hansen-Bahia
1. Hansen Bahia Museum
Karl Heinz Hansen (1915-1978) was born in Hamburg, Germany, and made his career as an artist in Sweden, where he produced exhibitions and film scripts. In 1950, he moved to Brazil, working initially in São Paulo. Later, in love with Bahian culture, he settled in the city of São Félix, where he adopted the name Hansen-Bahia.
A versatile artist, Hansen-Bahia has worked in various fields, including painting, illustration, engraving, woodcutting, sculpture, cinema and poetry. His work has been exhibited in important museums and galleries in cities such as Salvador, the Bahia Museum of Modern Art, Belo Horizonte, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.
In 1967, he released an album of prints entitled Via Crucis do Alemão e Brasileiro, with a text by Jorge Amado, dedicated to Mãe Senhora, the yalorixá of the Ylê Axé Opô Afonjá terreiro .
Hansen-Bahia’s works are exhibited in world-renowned museums such as the Hermitage in St Petersburg, the Albertina in Vienna, the Musée de l’Homme in Paris, the Library of Congress in Washington, and also in institutions in Germany and Israel.
2. Igreja Matriz Nossa Senhora do Rosário
The beautiful 17th-century church, which has been listed and restored, stands out for its Lioz marble-covered doorway.
Inside, the panels of Portuguese tiles lining its walls are among the largest in the country.
The church is also home to the Alfaias Museum, whose collection includes sacred images, gold and silver pieces and religious vestments.
3. Irmandade Nossa Senhora da Boa Morte
The Irmandade was the brainchild of black slave women who, prevented from practising their religion, formed an Afro-Catholic brotherhood to venerate Our Lady of Good Death, a figure who syncretised their gods and orixás.
To be part of the sisterhood, women need to be linked to a candomblé house, which can be Gêge, Ketu or Nagô Batá.
At the Brotherhood’s headquarters, there is a chapel and a memorial that exhibits photographs, objects used in African cults and the image of Our Lady of Good Death, whose festival traditionally takes place in August.
4. Santa Casa de Misericórdia and Chapel of Santa Bárbara
The baroque building, dating from 1734, houses the chapel, which has a rococo altar.
5. Town Hall and Jail
The restored 1698 building now houses the Town Hall.
6. Chafariz Imperial
Built in 1827 to supply the city with water, the building has a neoclassical style. Its decoration includes seven frowns and the arms of the Empire.
7. Igreja da Ajuda
The Ajuda Church, also known as the Church of the Good Death, was the first church built in Cachoeira.
Its origins date back to the construction of a small chapel in honour of Our Lady of the Rosary between 1595 and 1606. It was only in 1637 that the chapel was elevated to the status of a parish church in honour of Our Lady of Help, during reconstruction work that included the nave, the copy, the chancel, the sacristy and the bell tower.
One of the building’s secular highlights is the primitive artistic painting of the dome, which features a red design on a light ochre background, with black friezes. This painting is considered to be one of the first to be painted in tempera on mortar in Brazil.
8. Igreja da Ordem Terceira do Carmo
The building dates from the early 17th century and has an interior lined with Portuguese tiles. The altars are Baroque in style, reflecting the richness and sophistication of the religious architecture of the time.
9. Casa de Oração da Ordem Terceira do Carmo (House of Prayer of the Third Order of Carmel)
The architectural complex, which includes a chapel, table room, cloister and cemetery, began construction in 1702 on land donated to the Carmelites by General João Rodrigues Adorno. Today, the site houses a Museum of Sacred Art, which preserves and exhibits important works of religious heritage.
10. Carmo Convent
Like the Carmelite convent in Salvador, the building has been converted into a guesthouse and restaurant, offering visitors an experience that combines local history and culture with accommodation and gastronomic options.
11. Dannemann Cigar Factory
The factory, opened in 1873 by the German Gerhald Dannemann, continues to produce high quality cigars, comparable to Cuban cigars, handmade by women who pass on their knowledge from generation to generation.
The building, which houses the Bienal do Recôncavo, is home to a cultural centre promoting local art and culture.
12. House of Hansen-Bahia
The house where the artist lived, preserved as he left it, is now a museum with a collection of 4,000 works, where the local population has access to artistic activities and courses. In the garden, there is a memorial where the painter’s ashes and the remains of his wife, Ilse, are deposited.
The space receives more than 10,000 visitors a year, and the exhibition is always changed on 19 April, Hansen Bahia‘s birthday. For those who want to take home a souvenir, there are T-shirts, DVDs and a catalogue of his works on sale.
Bahia.ws is the largest tourist guide to Bahia, Salvador and the Brazilian Northeast.