at a glance

The curious story behind the naming of the region relates to the creation of this railroad. It is said that as the area was home to several skunks, known in brazil as 'gambás', the emperor named the local train station 'Gambá Station'. The wife of Assis Carneiro, one of the local landlords, wrote to the director of the railroad asking him to change the name of the station, 'for pity's sake'. As a result of this, the name of the station was changed to Piedade, or 'pity', which would eventually become the name of the neighborhhod itself.

In 1905 Piedade formed a legacy for itself as the first district on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro to have electricity, along with the neighborhood of encantado. The 20th century also brought several important improvements to the region, including the foundation of an academic institution, Universidade Gama Filho, or 'Gama Filho University', in 1939.