Catarina Álvares Paraguaçu,[1] also known as Catarina do Brasil (baptized June 1528 – 1586), was a Tupinambá Indian. She was born in what is today the state of Bahia (dates unknown) and was married to Portuguese sailor Diogo Álvares Correia, also known as "Caramuru". She and Caramuru became the first Brazilian Christian family.[2][3]
Catarina Paraguaçu | |
|---|---|
 Catarina Paraguaçu's Dream, an 1871 painting by Manuel Lopes Rodrigues | |
| Born | Guaibimpará 16th century |
| Died | 1586 |
| Nationality | Portuguese |
| Known for | Marian visionary through dreams |
| Spouse | Diogo Correia |
| Children | Gaspar Gabriel Jorge |
Her father, the cacique of the Tupinambás, offered her as a wife to Correia, since he was a prominent figure among the Indians. Correia travelled to France in 1526, taking his wife with him, and in 1528, in Saint-Malo, Catarina was baptized, receiving the name Catarina do Brasil (French: Catherine du Brésil; English: Catherine of Brazil).
Death and legacy
editParaguaçu died in 1586, and, as per her last will and testament, her possessions were all donated to the Benedictine monks. She is buried at the Church of Our Lady of Grace (Igreja da Graça), in Salvador, Bahia.
Dreams
editA legend says that Catarina dreamed constantly about castaways dying of cold and hunger. In one of those dreams, she saw a woman carrying a baby in her arms. Trusting in the mystic qualities of her dreams, Caramuru told the people to search everywhere around the shores. Many castaways were found, but no woman among them.
Days later, Catarina dreamed again of the same woman, who told her to build a house for her in her village. Soon after, a statue of the Virgin Mary carrying Child Jesus was found.
The statue can now be found at the altar of the Igreja da Graça.[2]
In popular culture
edit- Paraguaçu appears in Santa Rita Durão's 1781 epic poem Caramuru, based on Diogo Correia's life. She is depicted as a seer, able to foresee the Dutch invasions of Brazil.
- Paraguaçu was portrayed by Camila Pitanga in the 2001 film Caramuru: A Invenção do Brasil, a loose, comedic adaptation of Durão's poem.
References
edit- ^ According to Catarina's baptism certificate, her original name was Guaibimpará, and not Paraguaçu.
- ^ a b Lins, Eugénio Ávila (2012). "Church and Monastery of Our Lady of Grace". Lisbon, Portugal: Heritage of Portuguese Influence/Património de Influência Portuguesa. Retrieved 2019-11-12.
- ^ Secretaria da Indústria, Comércio e Turismo (Bahia, Brazil) (1997). IPAC-BA: inventário de proteção do acervo cultural. Vol. 1 (3 ed.). Salvador, Brazil: Secretaria da Indústria e Comércio. pp. 71–72.
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