Museums

The Cristo Rei Palace houses the memorial of the Federal University of Maranhão (UFMA). Located in Largo dos Amores, in front of Praça Gonçalves Dias in the center of São Luís, this building has an architecture that dates back to the 19th century, having been the home of nobles, a Jesuit school and the seat of the Archbishopric of Maranhão.

Predominantly neoclassical in style, the place impresses with the architectural aspects printed in its corridors, rooms, staircase, garden, gazebo and all its details. It has an extensive historical collection of the Federal University of Maranhão, made up of paintings, photos, objects and clothing that help tell the story of this important educational institution in Maranhão.

Opening hours: Monday to Friday, from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm. Free entrance.

Cafua das Mercês (@cafua.ma) is an equipment that aims to recognize cultural diversity and value the African cultural matrix in Maranhão.

It operates in a two-story house on Rua Jacinto Maia in Praia Grande (Historic Center), built in the mid-18th century, a place that housed a black slave market during the colonial period. It houses a collection relating to the history and memory of slavery and made up of religious cult objects such as figurines, gourds, pipes, drums and photographs of mothers and children of saints from the House of Nagô and Mina. There are also torture instruments used during the slavery period.

Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday, from 1:30 pm to 5:30 pm. Free entrance.

Designed as a space to host a permanent exhibition on local culture, Casa do Maranhão (@casa_do_maranhao) is located in the Historic Center and when visiting it, tourists have the opportunity to come into contact with a diverse collection containing history, legends , natural beauty, gastronomy and religious festivals in Maranhão.

Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday, from 9am to 6pm. Sunday, from 9am to 1pm. Free entrance.

It is part of the REFFSA Cultural and Technological Complex, the city’s former railway station. It brings together a railway and port museum, as well as a series of attractions for visitors. It is located on Avenida Beira-Mar, one of the city’s most beautiful postcards.

Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday, from 9am to 6pm. Sunday, from 9am to 1pm. Free entry. More information about the Maranhão Railway and Port Museum can be found on the social media profile: reffsa.ma

The Casa de Cultura Huguenot Daniel de La Touche is an art and culture museum that preserves the history of the French foundation of São Luís, located on Rua Djalma Dutra in the Praia Grande neighborhood – Historic Center of São Luís.

With a diverse collection, it displays artifacts of Portuguese origin, photographs, as well as a set of cultural assets recorded in books and pieces of weak-Protestant origin dating from the 16th century. It also has an exclusive exhibition that recovers the cultural matrix of the Brazilian indigenous peoples who lived in these lands at the time of the discovery of Brazil and the founding of São Luís.

More information and opening hours, as well as the schedule of activities that the Casa de Cultura Huguenot Daniel de La Touche Museum carries out, can be found on the social media profile: casadeculturahuguenote.

With almost 200 years of existence, Palacete Gentil Braga was and continues to be the stage for meetings of artists and intellectuals from Maranhão.

The building has a facade covered in 19th century Portuguese tiles, consisting of a floor, a high basement and a tower observation deck. It presents characteristics of colonial architecture with neoclassical ornamental elements and neo-Gothic pointed arches.

It is located on Rua Grande, home to the largest shopping center in Maranhão and is managed by the Federal University of Maranhão (UFMA), which regularly carries out various extension activities open to the community. More information, as well as the schedule of activities that Palacete Gentil Braga performs, can be seen on the social media profile: cultura.ufma