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the use of imperial palm trees in the Ministry of Education and Health building and the University of Brazil (and their transfer to Brasilia)

Abstract

Based on the emblematic use of imperial palm trees (Roystonea oleracea) arranged in colonnades in 19th century Rio de Janeiro, this study proposes to analyze how these plants were incorporated into the Modern Movement in 20th-century. The objective in examining both centuries is to investigate how these former emblems of the nation were repurposed particularly during periods focused on strengthening both national image and modern language. To achieve this, the paper first explores the relationship between historical monuments and the construction of national identity in 19th-century Brazil. This relationship is highlighted by analyzing the use of imperial palm trees in the projects by Le Corbusier and Lúcio Costa for the Ministry of Education and Health building and for the campus of the University of Brazil – both examples of responses to the creation of modern monumentality. Finally, the study examines how the monumental quality evoked by these palms was transferred to the new national capital: Brasília. It concludes that, far beyond being mere emblems of an empire, the imperial palms reflected a Brazilian adaptation of the classical tradition – an adaptation that may justify their use in projects whose key objectives were precisely the consolidation of a national, modern, and monumental culture.