Alcantara, Brazil Attractions

Casa de Câmara e Cadeia

On Praça Gomes de Castro is the Prefecture, in the old Casa de Câmara e Cadeia (Town Hall and Gaol).

Museum

On Praça Gomes de Castro is the Alcântara Museum, which has an interesting collection of sacred art and furnishings of the 18th and 19th centuries.

Capela das Mercês

On Rua Pequena is the Capela das Mercês.

Capela do Desterro

The 18th century Capela do Desterro in Rua Pequena now contains the sacred images and altars from the church of São Matias.

On Rua Direita is the ruined church of São Francisco de Assis (1732).

Colonial buildings

Characteristic features of Alcântara are its churches and its azulejo-clad houses, bearing witness to a time when the town was a favorite retreat of the landed aristocracy of Maranhão. Many buildings, unfortunately, have survived only as ruins or as façades with nothing behind them.

Forts

Two forts which can be visited are Forte Miritituia (1747) and the remains of Forte São Sebastião (1663).

Centro de Lançamento

But modern technology has also established itself in Alcântara, in the form of the Centro de Lançamento (Launching Center), where space research is carried on and rockets and satellites are launched into space.

N.S. do Carmo

The church of Nossa Senhora do Carmo (1663), in Rua Grande, has a beautiful Baroque altar. In the same street is the Folk Museum (Museu do Folclore), with the sacred images and flags of the traditional Festa do Divino (Feast of the Holy Ghost).

São Matias

Most of the town's old buildings are in Praça Gomes de Castro and Rua Grande. In the square are the ruins of the principal church, São Matias (1648), and the pelourinho (pillory).