The experience of the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Service in São Paulo: the case of the restoration of Saint Michel's Church, 1939-1941

Abstract

This article, the first in a series of four reports, assists in an understanding of brazilian architectural heritage preservation practices. It analyses the experience of the federal organ then called the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Service (SPHAN in portuguese) in São Paulo. By analysing one of its first restoration works, we will review the first years of this organ's activities in an effort to understand its structure, how its staff was organized, and the difficulties presented by its scarce resources as well as by the lack of previous experiences in heritage preservation. We will primarily attempt to identify the concepts that guided the preservation and restoration work, as well as the methods and the techniques used in preserving these assets. The preservation work at Saint Michel's church - among the first buildings" discovered" by SPHAN - counted on the active involvement of Mário de Andrade. This work, together with the restoration of the Embu Convent, marked the beginning of the activities of São Paulo's regional chapter. It also pointed the way to future work, under the direction of architect Luis Saia. This analysis will proceed in three other reports, which study the work at Saint Antony's ranch and chapel in São Roque, at the City Council and Jail building in Atibaia, and at Pau D'Alho's farm in São José do Barreiro. These reports will follow SPHAN's development up to the mid-1970s. In pointing out the connections between the restoration and conservation work carried out at these sites, we will study the ways in which this organ absorbed the most important theories of its time, from Viollet-le-Duc onward. We will also examine the recommendation of the first international reports for heritage preservation initiatives within the specifically brazilian cultural context of the first half of the 20th century.