纪念Tebas谷歌标志涂鸦标志

纪念 Tebas谷歌标志涂鸦
2020年6月30日

Today’s Doodle celebrates the legacy of 18th-century Brazilian architect and engineer Joaquim Pinto de Oliveira, also known as Tebas. Historians believe that during this month in 1778, Tebas broke free from the shackles of slavery and ingrained his artistic vision into the streets of São Paulo upon the completed renovation of one of his most iconic designs: the first tower of the original São Paulo Cathedral.

Tebas was born in 1721 in the port city of Santos, Brazil, and was a black slave of the well-known Portuguese architect and builder Bento de Oliveira Lima. They relocated to São Paulo during a period of expansive civil construction in the capital city. Tebas had a rare expertise in working with stone, a skill which placed his services in very high demand there.

By the 1750s, Tebas had risen to become a highly accomplished architect in São Paulo, and over the following decades, he shaped the city with constructions including the pediment of the São Bento Monastery and the facade of the Church of the Third Order of Carmo. He continued working for years after he gained his freedom and lived until the age of 90. Over the course of his long life, he cemented himself as one of the greatest Brazilian architects of his time.

In honor of Tebas’ contributions to the city, in 2019 his name was inscribed at the former site of what is widely considered one of his best-known works, the Chafariz da Misericordia (Fountain of Mercy), Sao Paulo’s first public water fountain which he designed and constructed in 1792.

Thank you, Tebas, for overcoming all obstacles to lay the blueprint for a brighter future!