The Monument to the Independence of Brazil () is a granite and bronze monument located within the Independence Park in São Paulo, Brazil. It is also known as the Ipiranga Monument () or the Altar of the Fatherland (). The monument is located on the banks of the Ipiranga Brook, on the historic site where prince regent Pedro (later emperor as Pedro I) proclaimed the independence of the country on 7 September 1822.
The monument was designed and built by Italian sculptor Ettore Ximenes (1855âÂÂ1926) and Italian architect Manfredo Manfredi (1859âÂÂ1927) to celebrate the first centennial of the Brazilian Independence in 1922.
The Imperial Crypt and Chapel is located beneath the monument. The crypt was built in 1972 to house the remains of Emperor Pedro I of Brazil (also King of Portugal as Pedro IV) and his wives, Maria Leopoldina of Austria and Amélie of Leuchtenberg. The crypt is consecrated as a Catholic chapel, as demanded by the then-head of the Imperial House of Brazil, Pedro Henrique of Orléans-Braganza. He agreed to allow the transfer of the remains of his ancestors to the monument on the condition that the place be consecrated as a Catholic place of burial, with a Catholic altar where Mass could be said. Pedro I and Amélie's remains were transferred from the Royal Pantheon of the House of Braganza in Lisbon; Maria Leopoldina's was moved from a mausoleum in the Convent of Saint Anthony in Rio de Janeiro.
Burial places of members of the Brazilian imperial family