the community of santa marta, also known as dona marta, is considered one of the most charming and developed favelas in rio de janeiro.

santa marta owes its name to the image of an homonymous saint placed inside a church on the dona marta hill - in fact, the community started in 1924 as a settlement for the people working on the expansion of  the church belonging to the nearby colégio santo inácio.

readers interested in the detailed history of santa marta can find in-depth information in this article by the associação de moradores e amigos de botafogo - amab (association of residents and friends of botafogo).