at a glance

What is today known as the Bangu district, located in the West Zone of Rio de Janeiro, was first occupied by the Portuguese in the 16th century - later, In 1673 Manuel de Barcelos Domingos, one of Rio's first settlers, built a private chapel on the Fazenda Bangu, or 'Bangu Farm'.

The arrival of the Estrada Real de Santa Cruz, or 'Royal Road of the Holy Cross', helped develop the region, but significant occupation only took place in the last part of the 19th century, after the arrival of the Ramal Ferroviário de Santa Cruz, or 'Holy Cross Railway Station'.