Cemitério Municipal de São Simão

São Simão (São Paulo – SP)

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São Simão is a nice small town surrounded by mountains in the state of São Paulo. Formerly the development occurred on the right margin of the stream, housing the Town Council, church, jail and the best buildings. Due to the construction of the Mogiana Railway in 1882, it started to grow towards the left margin which became the main side of the town for its trading center, recreation, banks, etc.
This city has inherited the influence of various immigrants. The Germans brought the casting of metals, architecture and engineering for the construction of houses, many of which still remain standing, as the House of Culture Marcelo Grassmann. The Italians came with the purpose of working in the farming coffee, replacing the slave labor. The British brought hundreds of tools and built the railways which drained the crop of the coffee. In addition, the city also received North-Americans, Lebanese, Portuguese, French and Japanese.
According to the records, the first cemetery of São Simão was located in the surroundings of the Old Mother Church, which was demolished. After the demolition the Cemetery on Campos Sales Street was built. At that time, there was a proposal to build a cemetery far away from the city and then the Bento Quirico Cemetery was constructed. There is also a registry of the Variolous Cemetery, due to the smallpox epidemic that lasted from September to December, 1887.
São Simão´s golden period was from 1895 to the beginning of the 20th century when the wealthy families began building rich graves and tombs in the new cemetery, which caused a big surprise. People wondered why the new cemetery ´s burial monuments were more beautiful than those in the cemetery of the city and also why many familiescontinued burying their loved ones in Bento Quirino.

Timeline:

1671 – Luis Castenho de Almeida, who was leading a slave-hunting expedition heading towards the state of Goias, stopped by São Simão.
1800 – People believe that São Simão was founded around this decade.
1809 – The General Magistrate of the District determined to number the houses in order to make easy the tax collection.
1833 – It is about this date that the first bodies were buried in the first official cemetery, located around the Old Mother Church, today Jânio Quadros Square.
1835 – On April 8th, Simão da Silva Teixeira was granted a piece of land for the heritage of the local Justice of the Peace Office. On May 14th, São Simão was raised to the category of “Chapel.”
1842 – São Simão is elevated to the category of Parish and becomes a “Parish Church”; by Law it became a District but still belonging to the city of Casa Branca.
1850 – It was established the first school “First Letters for Males.”
1865– It was created the City of São Simão on April 22nd.
1867 – It was installed the first City Hall whose President was the Captain Gabriel de Sousa Diniz Junqueira.
1871 – The city of Ribeirão Preto was separated from São Simão.
1873 – The first record of the cemetery in the city is found in the City Hall.
1882 – The Mogiana Railway is settled down.
1886 – The New Mother Church began being built. The Emperor of Brazil, D. Pedro II visited the city.
1887 – It is established the Foundation of the Variolous Cemetery.
1888 – São Simão is also known as the birthplace of the Proclamation of the Republic because on January, 31st the City Council proposed the extinction of the monarchy and annuled the formation of the 3rd empire.
1892 – The New Mother Church is opened. Creation of the Brotherhood “Apostleship of the Prayer”. The Cemetery is now administered by the City Hall.
1896 – It starts the construction of the Carlos Gomes Theater. First Yellow Fever epidemic. First Lodge is founded – ” Truth Star Lodge”. Opening of the new cemetery (today the district of Bento Quirino).
1898 – It starts the construction of Santos Dumont Railway. Second Yellow Fever epidemic. The Main Altar of the Mother Church is opened.
1902 – The third Yellow Fever epidemic.
1904 – The Holy House of Mercy of São Simão is opened.
1911 – Santa Rosa of Viterbo is separated from São Simão.
1919 – Reopening of the Municipal Cemetery of São Simão, which was kept closed for 23 years.
1927 – Serra Azul is separated from São Simão.
1947 – Dr. Francisco Viana Pereira Sobrinho was elected to be Mayor through the first direct elections held in the city (1948/1951).
1959 – It is created the Municipal Library. The first celebration of the city anniversary was on October 28th, by the Law No. 63, June 19th, 1959.
1960 – Luiz Antônio is separated from São Simão.
1963 – The Cemetery of Bento Quirino is improved: addition of paving, chapel and morgue.
1964 – The first Station of the Cross (Via Crucis) started being built along of the “Morro do Cruzeiro” – The Cross Hill.
1977 – Creation of the House of Culture “Marcelo Grassmann”.
1978 – House of Culture “Marcelo Grassmann is registered as heritage of the city.
1981 – According to IBGE Research, São Simão has 10,817 inhabitants.

The Municipal Cemetery of São Simão is far away from downtown, located on a hill from where a good part of the city can be seen. It follows the standard model of plan composed of aligned and sequenced blocks.

Among the famous people buried in the Municipal Cemetery of São Simão we highlight: Hettore Montiani, Achilles Reinhardt, Antônio Burin, Fortunato Médici, Captain Martiniano Antonio de Azevedo, Colonel Luiz A.Junqueira, Manoel Joaquim Ribeiro do Valle and Dr. Antônio Maria Gregório, many of them were local coffee-growers and traders.

The cemetery was disabled for nearly 24 years, which contributed to its current state of preservation. A good number of tombs dated from the 19^th century still remain on the main boulevard. The chapel became a reference to the faithful who pray on Mondays. The highlight is the tomb of the Colonel Luiz Antonio Junqueira which is richly ornated with low relief panels.

CROIX LATINE, XXe siècle. On voit un caveau, blanchi à la chaux. L’accent est mis sur les plusieurs croix latines, des différentes tailles qui ornent le chevet et entourent le monument. Il s’agit d’un cas singulier dans l’art funéraire brésilienne.

CHAPEL-TOMB, 20th century. Few families in São Simão are inclined to build a private burial monument for their dead. This particular chapel-tomb has a door and windows similar to ordinary houses. At the top center there is a small gray and white marble obelisk that belonged to the previous tomb, where there is the epitaph of the dead. Observe the various decorative slits of the wall that take us back to the art dèco style.

CHILD ANGEL, 20th century. A modern and simple tomb, coated with tiles. The emphasis is on the mural where it is placed a beautiful marble of Carrara sculpture. The child angel, sitting on a globe, holds a garland of flowers. Probably this sculpture was part of an old tomb that was destroyed.

NEOCLASSIC ARCHITECTURE , 19th century. There is a sculpture on the top of the tomb representing the Melancholly Allegory – the young angel embraces with sadness a Latin cross. The supporting pedestal has an epigraphed gravestone in memory of Dr. Antonio Maria Gregório, who died in 1895.

MONUMENTAL TOMB, 20th century. The family of the Colonel Luiz Antonio Junqueira honored him by installing on the tomb a statuary of Christ on the Mount of Olives and three low relief panels inlaid in the base that describe the history of the coffee plantation: industrialization of the product, deforestation and the crop.

ECLECTIC TOMB, 19th century. The Great Amparense Marble Yard was responsible for building this grave, which takes the following structure: high tomb, a pedestal that brings out a gravestone with inscriptions and an altar on the top protecting the Melancholly Angel.

MODERN TOMB, 20th century. The black granite tomb was built according to the modern architecture parameters: high and straight platform, the head composes ascending plans upside, having an altar on its top with the image of Our Lady Aparecida, patroness of Brazil.

SACRED IMAGE, 20th century. It is a simple and big tomb, coated with black granite. The head molds an altar covered by a Roman arch, where it is placed the image of Santo Antonio. The religiosity is also emphasized by the cross on the arc.

CHRIST CARRYING THE CROSS, 20th century. This is a monumental architecture, coated with black granite, modern style. We highlight the low relief in bronze on the tomb head, which portrays a half-body Christ holding the cross. The suffering expressed, surely relieves the pain of the Montiani family.

BORGES, Maria Elizia. Funerary Art in Brazil
(1880-1930). Italian Marble Carver Craft in Ribeirão Preto. Belo Horizonte: C/ Arte, 2002.
OLIVEIRA, Fausto Pires de. Elements for the history of São Simão, São Simão, 1975.

Sites:

//www.butoh.com.br/saosimao/saosimao.html (Acessed on December13th, 2006).
//br.geocities.com/efspm/index.html (Acessed on December13th, 2006).
//www.butoh.com.br/saosimao/ (Acessed on December13th, 2006).
//www.citybrazil.com.br/sp/saosimao/ (Acessed on December13th, 2006).

Credits:

Coordination and Research: M Elizia Borges.
Creation of the site: Catu Design, 2008.
Researcher at CNPq / PIBIC: Adriana M. Gianvechio Carvalho.
Photography: M. Elizia Borges, 2006.

Contact:

maelizia@terra.com.br