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The history of the Casarão, the Solar Coronel Manoel Jorge Ferraz or the Casa de Julia Ferraz begins in 1776, when the Portuguese Francisco Lourenço Cintra settled in Atibaia. According to family tradition, he was the first resident of the Casarão, which at the time was a single-story house made of rammed earth. In the following century, between 1834 and 1845, the upper part of the Casarão was built by Colonel Manoel Jorge Ferraz with a wooden structure filled with rammed earth. The Casarão was the headquarters of the Liberal Party, a meeting point for political meetings and even for participants in the Liberal Revolution of 1842. His son, Manoel Jacintho de Araújo Ferraz, was a judge graduated from the University of São Paulo, working throughout the Bragança region. He was also a deputy and president of the Atibaia City Council. In 1901, the Casarão became the property of Manoel Jorge's granddaughters and grandsons, who dedicated themselves to artistic and religious activities. They were also responsible for hosting religious authorities, such as the Archbishop of São Paulo, Dom Duarte Leopoldo e Silva, and Dom Antônio Mariano de Assis. During the Revolution of 1924, they gave up the house to shelter families who were leaving the capital. Júlia Ferraz was the last resident of the Casarão. Already elderly, she was forced to leave her home by order of the local authorities who, in 1961, wanted to demolish the building to expand the square. Maria de Lourdes Ferraz, Julia's niece, then began a fight for the Casarão to be listed with CONDEPHAAT (Council for the Defense of Historical and Architectural Heritage of the State of São Paulo) and managed to prevent its demolition. In 1975, the Casarão's historical, architectural and political importance to the state of São Paulo was officially recognized. After the landmark, Lourdes developed pioneering work in promoting crafts at the Casarão, which valued popular culture and provided space for artisans and artists from the city and the region. The mansion also began to host art exhibitions, popular culture shows, musical performances and other cultural events open to the public. Contact the Casarão: /casaraojuliaferraz