Pátio do Colégio, Mission station and archaeological site in central São Paulo, Brazil.
Pátio do Colégio comprises several buildings around a central courtyard, including a white-walled church, a small museum, and an exhibition space in downtown São Paulo. The buildings follow a colonial design with arches and tile roofs, while archaeological remains from the sixteenth century lie visible beneath the main plaza.
Jesuit priests founded here the first school and chapel in 1554, marking the starting point of São Paulo as a settlement. The buildings were reconstructed in the twentieth century following historical plans, after earlier structures were lost to urban changes.
The twentieth-century church holds religious objects and artwork from different periods of Brazilian colonial life. Visitors can walk through the chapel and see how local congregations use the space for worship and quiet reflection today.
The complex opens daily from 9 AM to 5 PM and offers guided tours in several languages covering the church, museum, and archaeological areas. Visitors can move freely through the rooms and find information panels in Portuguese and English.
Glass panels in the courtyard floor reveal foundation stones and wall fragments from the sixteenth century, allowing visitors to examine the original rammed-earth construction techniques directly below. These underground remains mark the exact spot where the city began its existence.
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