Monument to the Independence of Brazil
The Monument to the Independence of Brazil is granite and bronze sculpture in São Paulo, Brazil. It is also known as the Ipiranga Monument or the Altar of the Fatherland. The monument is located on the banks of the Ipiranga Brook in São Paulo, on the historic site where the later Emperor Pedro I of Brazil proclaimed the independence of the country on September 7, 1822.
The monument was designed and built by Italian sculptor Ettore Ximenes and Italian architect Manfredo Manfredi to celebrate the first centenary of the Brazilian Independence.The Crypt
An Imperial Crypt and Chapel is located inside the monument. The crypt was built in 1972 to house the remains of Emperor Pedro I of Brazil, also King Pedro IV of Portugal, and his wives, Maria Leopoldina of Austria and Amélie of Leuchtenberg. The crypt is consecrated as a Catholic chapel, as demanded by the then head of the Brazilian Imperial Family, Prince Pedro Henrique of Orléans-Braganza. He agreed to allow the transfer of the bodies of his ancestors to the Monument on the condition that the place be consecrated as a Catholic place of burial, with a Catholic altar, where Masses could be offered for the repose of their souls. Pedro I and Amélie of Leuchtenberg's bodies were transferred from the Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza in Lisbon; while Maria Leopoldina was moved from the Imperial Mausoleum of St Anthony's Convent in Rio de Janeiro.
's 1888 painting Independence or Death.Gallery
