Casa da Fazenda do Morumbi, Colonial house in Morumbi, São Paulo, Brazil.
Casa da Fazenda do Morumbi is a colonial-style residence situated on a large estate in São Paulo, featuring rammed earth construction and a private chapel. The building maintains the original layout of a rural settlement with distinct areas that reflect the different functions of this working property.
The house was built in 1813 by Father Diogo Antônio Feijó, later regent of the Empire, who kept slaves in a senzala beneath it. Documents show John Rudge, an English tea producer born in Stroud in 1792, bought the already-named Fazenda do Morumbi in 1825 from Benedita de Jesus and her daughters, nuns at Santa Clara de Sorocaba; the king's donation is a legend. Rudge sold it in 1836 for over 100 times what he paid, then bought it back as an inheritance for a daughter.
The name Morumbi comes from Tupi-Guarani and is generally translated as "green hill." The house was the first residence of Father Diogo Antônio Feijó, who owned slaves; the senzala beneath the house can still be seen by visitors. The estate later passed to English tea producer John Rudge, and vines were planted for wine.
The Casa is at Avenida Morumbi, 5594, in the city's West Zone, and since 2013 it has been run by a private operator as a venue for corporate and social events, mainly weddings. The neighbouring Capela do Morumbi belongs to the city and is managed by the Department of Historical Heritage; it is part of the Museu da Cidade de São Paulo and receives visitors from Tuesday to Sunday, 9am to 5pm. The slave quarters beneath the house can be seen by visitors.
The tea story is a legend: King João VI supposedly granted the land to English tea producer John Rudge out of fondness for the drink, aiming to create Brazil's first Indian tea plantation. Documents show Rudge actually bought the Fazenda do Morumbi from Benedita de Jesus and her daughters, nuns at the Convent of Santa Clara de Sorocaba, by deed signed on 26 June 1825.
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