A place that binds together the sacred and the profane could be nothing less than a space in the old town of Salvador, first Head of Brazil, as the elders would say. The word "Terreiro", already carries in its meaning.

Effectively, the a much stronger power than the one of a simple open space, or a square of men agglomeration. It is a space of prayer, of rituals, place of revelry and singing, reference point either in the country or in the city. It is the earth, the ground. It does not matter that someday people poured some disgraceful asphalt on it. A term so full of meaning could not be left out when defining the sacred space for the cult of the ''Orixás''.

When the first capital of Brazil was founded in 1549, the priests of the Company of Jesus who came with Tomé de Souza meant to settle in a place far away from the temporal influence, in the neighborhood of Carmo, far of the city walls. Tomé de Souza, the governor, pondered that for security reasons, they should be closer. Accepted, unhappily, the ''Regulares de Santo Inácio'', because they considered very good company our primitive savage habitants from the village of Monte Calvário, Carmo nowadays, with whom they had a good relationship since they gave the savages the respect they deserved.

From this new situation, at about 440 meters from the Palace Square, lives until today the Terreiro de Jesus, a sacred place bordering the old Jesuit School, religious pole which characterized the urbanism of those days, gradually surrounded by monumental churches. The city walls in the age of D. Francisco, ''the cunning'', widened their protecting arms to defend these properties. Consolidating the new establishment, the ''Inacianos'' had to use all their power, which was not little, to avoid that the area surrounding the Terreiro de Jesus, was maculated by the presence of a whipping post the government tried to impose. Remarkable acts of body and spirit leisure started to there. These acts are much responsible for the culture and formation of the people of Bahia. From processions to bullfighting, from performing arts to celebrations and dancing, it was the stage for huge events that paralleled the life of the new metropolis, the capital of the Portuguese America.

Today, the Terreiro de Jesus is rightfully part of the Historical Center of Salvador and patrimony of the humankind. Even though the time of the primitive manifestations for which it was background has come and gone, it still is a place of prayers, singings, music and delight of the visitors. Impressed, they examine the architecture that defines its space, which is so representative of our people's spirit and our baroque soul, always full of the mystic and sensual.

Mário Mendonça
Architect



Ubiratan Marques-Piano
Sizão Machado-Bass
Bruno Oliveira-Saxophones
Nenê-Drums
Roberto Angerosa-Percussion

Featuring:
Gerônimo-Voice