Palácio da Redenção: centuries of history on Praça João Pessoa

Built on the site of an old Jesuit college started in 1586, the Palácio da Redenção is the seat of the Paraíba state government on Praça João Pessoa.

The origin of the land where the Palácio da Redenção now stands dates back to 1586, when the Jesuits who accompanied the conqueror Martim Leitão built, on the site, a complex formed by a convent, chapel and religious school. This colonial complex gave rise, over the following centuries, to the building that would become the seat of government of the captaincy and, later, of the state of Paraíba, on the present-day Praça João Pessoa, in the Historic Center.

The Palácio da Redenção was listed as heritage by the Historic and Artistic Heritage Institute of the State of Paraíba (IPHAEP), recognizing its importance to the state's political and architectural history. Over time, the building underwent renovations and expansions that added different construction phases to the same space, now occupied by the seat of the state's Executive branch.

A little-remembered episode in the palace's history came to light in recent reports: in 1937, during the rise of fascism and Nazism in Europe, tiles bearing the swastika symbol were installed in part of the building by an architect with ties to Italian fascism, remaining there for decades before being removed — an uncomfortable but real record in the building's history.

Part of the complex today houses the Museu de História da Paraíba, on Praça João Pessoa, with free admission, bringing together a collection on the state's political and social history over the centuries.