Cemitérios de Santa Isabel e São Benedito

Aracaju (Sergipe – SE)

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The city of Aracajú was founded on the banks of the Sergipe River. The word aracajú, from the Tupi ará = parrot and acayú = cashew fruit, means “cashew tree of the parrots”. The town was first built to replace São Cristóvão as the capital of the province of Sergipe. The town was first built to replace São Cristóvão as the capital of the province of Sergipe. The transfer of the capital took place in 1855 by initiative of the then provincial president Inácio Joaquim Barbosa, as São Cristóvão did not meet the minimum requirements to serve as seat of government. In those days, Santo Antonio do Aracajú – a port town established in a mostly swampy marshland – was the main gateway for the region’s sugar trade. Its plan was designed by a group of engineers headed by Sebastião Basílio Pirro. Up until that time, city designs conformed to the natural terrain conditions, thus resulting in an erratic cityscape. Engineer Sebastião Pirro countered this disposition and made Aracajú into one of the first cities in Brazil laid out in accordance with a gridiron plan. Its design was based on an orthogonal, chess-board type grid and its overall environment was imbued with a more progressive spirit, which represented a total change from São Cristóvão, an old colonial village with its sinuous streets of haphazard design.

Timeline:

1855 – Provincial president Inácio Joaquim Barbosa officially transferred the capital of Sergipe from São Cristóvão to the village of Santo Antonio do Aracajú. The new capital is located between the rivers Sergipe and Vaza-Barris.
1857 – The Good Jesus of the Navigators procession took place for the first time. This procession continues to be held annually on the first day of January at the estuary of the Sergipe River.
1859 – The São Benedito cemetery already existed, as attested by the dates inscribed on the gravemarker of Felix Pereira de Azevedo.
1862 – Dedication of the Mother Church of Our Lady of the Conception.
1864 – Resolution #568 of 4 January 1864 expanded the township boundaries.
1884 – A first textile plant was established that marked the early days of industrial development.
1886 – Aracajú was home to a population of 1,484 inhabitants and to an official press. The town was the departure point for shipping lines serving localities along the Sergipe River.
1900 – The pavement work using stones of the same shape and size was started, along with works aimed at beautifying the town and improving its waterworks system.
1908 – Burro-drawn trolleys were introduced in the town’s transit system. The waterworks system, then viewed as a luxury, was also inaugurated.
1926 – Burro-drawn trolleys were replaced with electric trolleys. Upon the arrival of modernity, Aracaju forcibly adhered to innovations.
1960 – Enhancement of railroad and implementation of highways, accompanied by an increase in number of automobiles..
1960s and 70s – The discovery of petroleum on the Aracajú seaboard fueled the region’s economic development. foi denominada Avenida Independência e depois foi rebatizada com o nome de Avenida João Ribeiro.
1963 – Aracajú entered a new development cycle. The recently-created state-owned Brazilian oil company Petrobrás set up local operations following the discovery of oil deposits underground and on the Atlantic seaboard.
1966 – A first Urbanization Code was issued for the city of Aracajú.
1977 – Creation of EMSETUR – Empresa Sergipana de Turismo (the state of Sergipe travel bureau).
1980s – The government awoke to the industrial boom and projects designed for the travel industry were implemented. Aracajú witnessed the construction of deluxe hotels and a promenade was built along the waterfront at Atalaia Beach that today offers the most popular postcard view of the city. Highways were also built to provide easier access to beaches north and the south of the city.
2000 – The township of Aracajú is home to a population of 461,534 inhabitants (source: IBGE, Census of 2000).

The cemeteries Santa Isabel and São Benedito are located across from Praça dos Expedicionários, in the Siqueira Campos district. Its flat terrain is home to numerous funerary monuments executed in Carrara marble and black and brown granite, dated of the 19th and 20th century.

The prominent personalities buried in the oldest cemeteries of Aracajú include pianist Geralda Almeida de Abreu, Sabino José Ribeiro, Thomaz Machado, Francisco de Carvalho Nobre, and José Thomaz Machado D’Ávila Nabuco.

The two cemeteries – Santa Isabel and São Benedito – have sections of funerary niches built near or along the outside walls of the burial
grounds. This solution was devised as an attempt to rationalize the use of space temporarily. The family-owned niches, of standard size, were built in three or four superimposed rows. It was up to each family to commission the customized decoration of their respective niches so as to honor and eulogize their deceased loved ones.

GOTHIC TABERNACLE, 20th century. Elements taken from church interiors were ordinarily introduced in burial sites, such as the tabernacle with vaulted arch built on this grave. Tabernacles are sanctuaries meant to contain religious images. In his case, the image represents death.

FUNERARY NICHE – Decorated frontispiece, 20th century. The design of this niche resembles that of an altar flanked by columns. The flower bed pays homage to the persons buried in this grave. The cross-topped frontispiece visually fills in the leftover space in the Prado family tomb.

MOURNER, 20th century. The pensive figure of a beautiful woman seated on a pedestal atop the tombstone holds a flower wreath. This figure symbolizes the family’s sadness about the loss of a loved one. Note the gravemarker decorations: an upside-down funeral pyre, the flower wreath and the vases.

COMMON GRAVEMARKER, 20th century. The design of this marker was very popular at its time; it comprised a simple, rectangular tomb with a slightly inclined tombstone, decorated with the lacey arabesques typical of the art nouveau style. The Latin cross decorated with leaves and roses is particularly noteworthy.

MATER DOLOROSA, 20th century. This woman figure represents a mother in distress because of the passing of her son, Sabino José Ribeiro. The subtle drapery of the clothing cast in bronze is particularly noteworthy. The figure is leaning against the headstone in which the deceased’s shield was carved.

CLASSICAL GRACEFULNESS, 20th century. The elaborate base of this mausoleum provides support for a rectangular tombstone in white marble boasting columns and a small bas-relief carving of a classical woman figure holding a wreath in one hand. This memorial is in honor of the family of Francisco de Carvalho Nobre.

FUNERARY NICHE – Angel of a fond remembrance, 20th century. The niche serves as support for a handsome statue, probably imported. The adult angel strews flowers in front of the deceased’s bust, surrounded by angels and flowers.

FINE CRAFTSMANSHIP, 20th century. This marker with elevated tombstone supports a statue on a pedestal. On both sides of the grave the ornaments delicately carved ornaments on the gray marble are particularly noteworthy.

LATIN CROSS, 20th century. The Latin cross is one of the symbols most frequently found in Brazilian cemeteries; it represents Christ’s crucifixion. Here, a beautiful and sad (although lofty) female figure stands for the feeling of pain at the loss of a loved one. The attractive ironwork is in art deco style.

BROKEN COLUMN, 20th century. The elevated tombstone supports a flight of stairs leading up to the sculptural ensemble. The large angel figure and the child are standing by the broken column that symbolizes the discontinued life of José Thomaz D`Ávila Nabuco.

BORGES, Maria Elizia. A estatuaria funerária no Brasil: representação iconográfica da morte burguesa. São Luís. VII Abanne: G’t Antropologiada Emoção, Edições do GREM, 8, 2004, CD-Room.

Sites:

//www.aracajunet.hpg.ig.br/aracaju.htm (Visited on 13 December 2005).
//www.aracaju.com/ (Visited on 13 December 2005).
//www.se.gov.br/ (Visited on 13 December 2005).

Credits:

Coordination and research: M Elizia Borges.
Website design: Catu Design, 2008.
CNPq/PIBIC researcher: Adriana M. Gianvechio Carvalho.
Photography: M. Elizia Borges, 2002.

Contact:

maelizia@terra.com.br