Restoration of the Moorish Pavilion and Architectural Complex of Manguinhos, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The article deals with interventions in the Moorish Pavilion or Moorish Castle in Manguinhos, in Rio de Janeiro, main monument of the architectural complex of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation – Fiocruz, one of the most significant and symbolic architectural ensembles in Brazil. It is the headquarters Fiocruz, under the supervision of the Brazilian Ministry of Health, the most prominent institution of science and technology on health in Latin America. It was protected by the National Historic and Artistic Heritage Institute (IPHAN) in 1980. The construction of the complex started in 1904 and the construction of the Moorish Pavilion started in 1905. It was on the initiative of the renowned Brazilian scientist Oswaldo Cruz and was designed by the Portuguese architect Luiz Moraes Júnior. The Moorish Pavilion, adopted the eclectic language and received the most varied influences of monuments, styles and decor: Montsouris Observatory (Paris, France), English railway stations, Elizabethan architecture (England, second half of the 16th century) and Moorish architecture (Iberian peninsula, 11th–15th centuries, especially Alhambra Granada, Spain), An architectural reading of the Moorish Pavilion will be made, examining the architectural language adopted; the material and building systems used in its construction; its meaning for the city and the heritage designation process, the surrounding environment in various periods, and the physical, functional and visual relationship with the city. Regarding the restoration works method, the following will be examined: causes of deterioration, diagnosis and state of conservation, interventions performed over the years, the project and methodology of the latest intervention. In the conclusion, the article will analyze the interventions undertaken in the light of the modern principles of cultural heritage preservation, the importance of the restoration works of the Moorish Pavilion Manguinhos, and its use as a public cultural and scientific space for the city.