Mayor of Vila Nova da Barquinha signs partnerships with Ouro Preto City Hall

A vase with flowers from Cerâmica Saramenha Artes e Ofícios was placed on the altar of the Carmo Church as a tribute to the memory of the surgeon and Captain of the Vila Rica Cavalry Regiment, the Portuguese Antônio José Vieira de Carvalho. Doctor and businessman, member of the Order of Mount Carmel since 1781, he was buried in the Church in 1818. The tribute, held on Monday, 25/03, marks Ouro Preto’s gratitude for the contribution that Vieira de Carvalho brought to the city and for the partnership between the city where the doctor was born, in Portugal, and the Municipality of Ouro Preto.

The ceremony at Igreja do Carmo began with the sound of classical music; Then there were speeches by Mayor Angelo Oswaldo and the Mayor of Vila Nova da Barquinha, Fernando Freire, from Portugal. Both revealed the surgeon’s trajectory, remembering his contribution to medicine and his role as an entrepreneur.

Chief Surgeon Vieira de Carvalho taught the first surgery, anatomy and obstetrics class in Brazil in Ouro Preto, thus giving the city the title of pioneer in the study of medicine. He also created on his farm in Portugal, at the end of the 18th century and beginning of the 19th century, a pottery where he produced Saramenha Ceramics on a large scale, with the support of Father Viegas de Menezes, a religious expert in graphic arts.

Angelo Oswaldo, who participated in the tribute alongside the mayor of Vila Nova da Barquinha, said that Vieira de Carvalho left important marks in history, and that today, his legacy forms a link between Ouro Preto and his homeland. They also signed a Cultural Cooperation Agreement. “Together, in tune, we will develop a specific exchange program with Portuguese-speaking countries, the project Nha Língua, Lusofonia Without Borders,” said Angelo (“Nhá”, in Guinean Creole, is a reduced form of “Lady”.). This is an initiative that aims to develop programs that will value and recognize the importance of the Portuguese language, “a language of culture, one of the most spoken throughout the world”, highlighted the mayor of Ouro Preto.

Fernando Freire demonstrated satisfaction with the partnership with Ouro Preto, spoke about the work of Surgeon-Major Vieira de Carvalho, mainly about the respect he had for the health of the enslaved people, remembering that his city is proud of his son who, at 27 years ago, came to make history in Ouro Preto.

Freire recalled in his speech that doctor Vieira de Carvalho, major surgeon of the Regular Cavalry regiment of the Captaincy of Minas Geraes, head of anatomy, surgery, and operations at the Royal Military Hospital of Villa Rica, was not only concerned about the high mortality of slaves, but also with their suffering. “He sought, therefore, for the colonists to recognize the need for humanization in the exploitation of slave labor. In addition to Medicine, António José Vieira de Carvalho was an entrepreneur who built the Saramenha ceramics factory in Ouro Preto, which is still working today, promoting art and crafts and making culture happen,” highlighted the mayor of Vila da Barquinha. .

Also present at the ceremony were businessman and writer Paulo Rogério Ayres Lage, author of the book “The life and work of Antônio José Vieira de Carvalho” and founder of Cerâmica Saramenha Artes e Ofícios, the chief of staff, Zaqueu Astoni, the secretary of Culture and Tourism, Flávio Malta, councilor Alex Brito and members of the Order of Carmel.

Click here and check out the full speech by Fernando Freire.