Escada brings together devotion to Mary, art and architectural history in Pernambuco. Several cultural perspectives can help you find your way around: the history of Igreja Matriz and its status as an archdiocesan Marian sanctuary, art collections related to Cícero Dias and the municipality, and historic buildings and cultural memory. These different themes can help you discover Escada according to your own interests.
Devotion to Mary and the Municipality’s History
The Santuário Mariano Nossa Senhora da Apresentação da Escada is located in the municipality of Escada in the state of Pernambuco, 60 km from the state capital. The municipality’s present-day Igreja Matriz was built in 1874 under the direction of the Capuchin missionary Frei Caetano de Messina Sobrinho, with the support of numerous devotees of Senhora da Escada. On December 27, 2021, Matriz da Escada was elevated to the status of an archdiocesan Marian sanctuary. It was the first sanctuary dedicated to Nossa Senhora in the state’s Zona da Mata Sul. The Festa de Nossa Senhora da Apresentação da Escada is celebrated every year in November, on the solemn Sunday of Cristo Rei do Universo. If you would like to include this occasion in your stay, check the date for the relevant year.
Art and Memory
In the municipality of Escada, the Museu Cícero Dias displays reproductions of 22 works by the painter from the Suíte Pernambucana, along with other works by Cícero Dias. The collection is complemented by objects and books about the municipality’s history. Art and local history are thus presented side by side: the reproductions refer to the Suíte Pernambucana, while the additional objects and books bring local history into focus.
The Museu da Memória do Povo Marikito Tapuyá is located in the municipality of Escada and is an initiative of the Movimento de Retomada Mata Sul Indígena. It works to preserve and strengthen this people’s cultural and historical roots, memory, traditions and language. In contrast to the Museu Cícero Dias’s focus on art and local history, the focus here is on the cultural memory of the Marikito Tapuyá. The Museu do Povo Marikito is listed as open on Wednesdays from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., as well as for visits by appointment. Please confirm the possibility of visiting before traveling there.
Architectural History and Biography
The fully restored Câmara Municipal da Escada building is located in the town center. It retains original features, including arched windows and a front and side garden. In the municipality of Escada, the Casa Grande and the chapel at Engenho Jundiá form an architectural ensemble of great artistic, historical and cultural value. The Engenho is 15 km from the municipal seat; the painter Cícero Dias was also born there. If you would like to consider his work and biography together, you can link the Museu Cícero Dias with Engenho Jundiá: the collection and the birthplace offer different perspectives on the painter.
Discover more destinations: Barreiros, Toritama, Ponta Do Funil, Recife, Fernando De Noronha, Macaparana, Bezerros, Nazaré Da Mata.
For the broader travel overview: Pernambuco.
