Independence Bell of Brazil, Historical bell in Barra Funda District, São Paulo, Brazil

The Independence Bell of Brazil is a bronze bell cast in 1820 by Francisco das Chagas Sampaio, probably in Bahia. It measures 1.75 m high and 1.70 m in diameter, weighs about 2,250 kg and contains 18 kg of gold. It hangs in the belfry of the Church of São Geraldo in Perdizes and bears the founder's name, the arms of the Kingdom of Portugal and a verse from Psalm 150.

The bell was cast in the 1820s when Brazil freed itself from Portugal and began its path as an independent nation. It played a symbolic role as Brazil built its new identity during this transformative period.

The bell is nicknamed "Bronze Velho" from its years in the old Cathedral of Sé, where it stayed from 1820 until the cathedral's demolition in 1913. It was given to the Parish of São Geraldo das Perdizes in June 1942. Its iron and lead clapper was stolen on 25 November 2003; the bell received a new one and still rings at Easter and Christmas.

The bell hangs in the belfry of the Igreja de São Geraldo in Perdizes, not in Barra Funda, and access for visitors is difficult. It is not a street-level monument; viewing depends on the church and parish. The stolen clapper was replaced, and the bell still rings on special dates such as Easter and Christmas.

The bell's clapper, made of iron and lead and weighing 50 to 60 kg, was stolen on 25 November 2003; thieves likely hoped to extract gold, though the gold is alloyed with the bronze only in the bell itself. The case remains unsolved, and the stolen clapper was not the original, which is kept in storage.