Praça da Sé

Praça da Sé (English: See Square) is a public space in São Paulo, Brazil. Considered as the city's central point, it is the point from where the distance of all roads passing through São Paulo are counted. The square was the location of many historical events in São Paulo's history, most notably during the Diretas Já movement. The name originates from the episcopal see of the city, the São Paulo Cathedral.

Praça da Sé
Praça da Sé with São Paulo Cathedral in the background.
Praça da Sé is located in São Paulo
Praça da Sé
Praça da Sé is located in Brazil
Praça da Sé
LocationSão Paulo, Brazil
Coordinates23°33′01″S 46°38′02″W
Area47,000 m2 (510,000 sq ft)
Opened1970 (1970)

History
Cathedral square in a photo of 1880 by Marc Ferrez. The old Cathedral of São Paulo is the church to the right.

Originally known as Largo da Sé (Field of the See), the square developed around the religious building which preceded the cathedral and surrounding edifices. At the beginning of the 20th century, older structures were demolished, and the downtown area was reconstructed according to the time's urban planning. Its geography has remained mostly unchanged since.

Landscape project

The current landscape is the result of a 1970s project by architects led by José Eduardo de Assis Lefèvre. The opening of a nearby São Paulo Metro station required the leveling of an entire city block, requiring an entirely new landscaping infrastructure.

The architects were heavily influenced by contemporary landscaping works underway on the US's west coast (such as those by Lawrence Halprin), characterized by rigorous geometry, through multiple levels with reflecting pools and prism-like land masses.

Renovation
Marco Zero, in the square, is considered the official central point of São Paulo.

The square underwent a significant revitalization during 2006, having been partially re-inaugurated on January 25, 2007 (the city's anniversary) by then-mayor Gilberto Kassab. The renovation came under intense criticism by NGOs working with the homeless who claimed that the new square reduced the space available for existing homeless people[1]

The renovation includes the relocation of flower boxes, the increase in the integration between existing sculptures and their surroundings, and the introduction of pedestrian overpasses over the existing reflecting pools.

Monuments
Image Name Creator Year of creation Material Category on Commons Monument ID Sculpture ID
 Abertura Amílcar de Castro 1979 iron Abertura by Amilcar de Castro
Condor Bruno Giorgi 1979 bronze Condor by Bruno Giorgi (bronze, 1979)
Diálogo Franz Weissmann 1979 steel Diálogo by Franz Weissmann
Emblem of São Paulo Rubem Valentim 1979 concrete
reinforced concrete		 Emblema de São Paulo by Rubem Valentim
Espaço Cósmico Yutaka Toyota 1979 stainless steel
granite
steel		 Espaço Cósmico
Garatuja Marcello Nitsche 1979 zinc
iron
steel
polyurethane		 Garatuja
Impacto Mário Cravo stainless steel
granite		 Impacto by Mário Cravo
José de Anchieta Heitor Usai 1954 bronze José de Anchieta by Heitor Usai (bronze, 1954)
Number zero survey marker of the city of São Paulo Jean Gabriel Villin marble
bronze
granite		 Marco Zero (São Paulo)
Nuvem sobre a Cidade Nicolas Vlavianos 1979 stainless steel
steel		 Nuvem sobre a Cidade by Nicolas Vlavianos
Quadro-Negro José Resende concrete
iron		 Quadro-Negro by José Resende
Satélite Francisco Stockinger granite
concrete		 Satélite by Francisco Stockinger (sculpture, 1978)
Sé Totem Doménico Calabrone granite
concrete
marble		 Totem da Sé
Sem título Sérgio Camargo marble Sculpture by Sérgio de Camargo (Praça da Sé)
The Birds Felícia Leirner 1979 bronze
granite		 Os Pássaros by Felícia Leirner
Voo Caciporé Torres 1979 stainless steel
concrete
steel		 Voo by Caciporé Torres

References
  1. Folha Online - Protestos de sem-teto abafam comemorações do aniversário de São Paulo

Bibliography
  • MACEDO, Silvio Soares e ROBBA, Fábio; Praças brasileiras; São Paulo:Edusp; ISBN 85-314-0656-0
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