PRAÇA DA SÉ

This must-see square, often confused by newcomers with the much older squares in the old centre, was built in the 1930s and takes its name from the Sé da Bahia Cathedral, which had stood here since 1522 and was destroyed in 1933. The old foundations of the first buildings in the district and of the cathedral, whose history is closely linked to that of Salvador, can still be seen today. In the 17th century, the Sé served as a fortress against the Dutch invaders, and it was also within its walls that the Te Deum was sung in honour of the Portuguese king João VI and his court in 1808, when he had just arrived in Salvador. Its demolition was decided to allow the trams to pass! It also made it possible to build the Belvedere da Sé, an open-air leisure area overlooking the bay of Todos os Santos. When the Lapa terminal was inaugurated, the trams stopped serving the area and the square gradually fell into disrepair. It was not until 1999 and a proposal by architect Assis Reis that Praça da Sé regained its splendour, with the inauguration of a new belvedere and a memorial to the old cathedral: the Cruz Caída (Fallen Cross), the work of Mário Cravo, built where the cathedral once stood. Today it is an important public space and an obligatory place of passage for visitors. One of the reasons for coming here is the sunset over the bay...