Praça Tiradentes, Ouro Preto

Tiradentes Square is a square located in the city of Ouro Preto, in Minas Gerais. It was the place where the head of the martyr of independence, Joaquim José da Silva Xavier, Tiradentes, was exposed in Vila Rica, now Ouro Preto. In the place where the pole had been, today stands a monument to the martyr. Curiously, the bronze statue of Tiradentes has his back to the governor's official residence.

The place where Tiradentes Square is today, in Ouro Preto, was known in the 18th century as Santa Quitéria Hill and during most of the 19th century, it was called Independence Square. In 1894, with the inauguration of the Monument in honor of Tiradentes, it was renamed Tiradentes Square. Around 1750, the architectural ensemble of the square began to take shape. In 1748, approximately, the new Governor's Palace was already functioning there. Today, Tiradentes Square is marked by two imposing buildings: the Museu da Inconfidência and the Museu de Ciência e Técnica. Completing the complex are admirable colonial houses: - Conjunto Alpoim: are several houses that would have been designed by Brigadier José FernandePinto Alpoim, ranging from number 52 to 70. Among them is the house of Dom Manoel de Portugal e Castro, who was the last governor of the Captaincy of Minas Gerais in the colonial period. The three grilles of the balconies present a curiosity; on them can be found the inscription: "for the memory of the immortal benefit your name is engraved on this metal." There is a legend that says that the governor's mistress would have had the inscription made on the balcony of her house. - Baroness' House. Nº 33. - City Hall and Tourist Information Office. Nº 41. - The Student Restaurant - REMOP. On this site, in the 18th century, there was the Santa Casa de Misericórdia. The current building, in neoclassical style, has already served as a Forum in the beginning of the century.