Sobrado at Rua Castro Alves, 2
The Sobrado at Rua Castro Alves, 2 is a Portuguese-colonial era sobrado, or urban manor house, in São Cristóvão, Sergipe, Brazil. It is one of two large two-storey sobrados in São Cristóvão, the other being Sobrado at Rua da Matriz. The sobrado has two stories and covers. It was listed as a historic structure by the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage in 1943, and became part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of São Francisco Square in 2010. The sobrado now houses the São Cristóvão office of IPHAN.
Location
The Sobrado at Rua Castro Alves, 2 is located in the upper city of São Cristóvão on São Francisco Square in close proximity to numerous other heritage sites. The sobrado sits on the southwest corner of the square facing the Misericórdia Hospital and Church, separated by Rua Cel. Erondino Prado. The Provincial Palace of Sergipe, now the State Historic Museum of Sergipe, sits directly west, separated only by the narrow Rua Leão Magno.History
The construction of the Sobrado at Rua Castro Alves, 2 dates to the end of the 18th century. It was built by Lieutenant Colonel Francisco Xavier de Oliveira Sobral, and passed on in a donation letter to Father José Valentim de Oliveira Sobral in 1810. The property remained the property of the priest until his death, as stated in the inventory of Lieutenant Colonel Luís Francisco Freire, the Baron of Laranjeiras, who acquired it from his heirs. It was then owned by Anna Francisca Freire, Manuel Santos Lima, Anna Bonfim Pires and finally Maria Antonieta Costa Santos who, in 2003, sold the sobrado to the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage. It now hosts exhibitions and workshops related to cultural heritage.In 2006, a historical survey and archaeological intervention carried out on the occasion of the building's restoration work clarified the question about the occupation of the townhouse, without confirming, however, the occupation of the property by the Ombudsman or Provincial Assembly.