Joaquim Pinto de Oliveira (Tebas): Google doodle on famous Brazilian architect, engineer

Google today celebrates the legacy of Joaquim Pinto de Oliveira, the 18th-century Brazilian architect and engineer.

Joaquim Pinto de Oliveira aka Tebas was born in 1721 in the city of Santos as a slave, who was brought from the São Paulo coast to São Paulo by a Portuguese mason-master. Eventually, he rendered services to the main Catholic orders.

The Benedictines, the Carmelites, and the Franciscans hired Joaquim Pinto de Oliveira (aka Tebas) to build Largo São Bento, the Church of the Third Order of Carmo, and Largo de São Francisco, respectively. He also served the Catholic Church, building one of the towers, and renovating the first Igreja da Sé.

By the 1750s, Tebas had risen to become a highly accomplished architect in São Paulo, and over the following decades, he shaped the city with constructions including the pediment of the São Bento Monastery and the facade of the Church of the Third Order of Carmo. He continued working for years after he gained his freedom and lived until the age of 90. Over the course of his long life, he cemented himself as one of the greatest Brazilian architects of his time.

In honour of Tebas’ contributions to the city, in 2019 his name was inscribed at the former site of what is widely considered one of his best-known works, the Chafariz da Misericordia (Fountain of Mercy), Sao Paulo’s first public water fountain which he designed and constructed in 1792.

Google today dedicates a beautiful doodle to Tebas. Thank you, Tebas, for overcoming all obstacles to lay the blueprint for a brighter future!

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