In the XVII century the Dutch stayed there for 25 years. There exists almost nothing as marks of that time, unless a part of the current Remédios Fort walls (where they have built a redoubt in 1629) and the areas of agricultural experimentations. The reports of this period mention "storehouses", "residences", "good marts", "farmyard", "vegetable gardens", a small "Calvinistic Congregation" among other constructive evidences of a long occupation. Also the "Elizabeth Gardens", where other cultures were experimented, mainly the indigo plant. And the place of this dutch "Village" is just the place where the REMÉDIOS VILLAGE was built in the following century, after the definitive occupation by Portugal through the Pernambuco Land Division.

Photo: Antônio Melcop r Remédios Village was the place chosen by the Dutch and by the portuguese-brazilians as the most important Noronha´s urban nucleus View on the map everything that is part of our patrimony.

The strategic advantages of this place were evident: near a water stream called Mulungu Brook and other fountains; easy access to the Cachorro Creek, which could be used as anchoring place; a drinkable water source transformed later in the Cachorro Fountain; the direct access to the new fort (Remédios). All this was supposed to be the ideal place for the construction of the main Village.

Urbanistic development

Nossa Senhora dos Remédios Fortress

The urbanistic design of the Remédios Village, with its planned structure, consisted of two yards (two space units). In the upper space there was the Administration, the civil power, and in the lower space, the church, the religious power. The whole area was covered with stones and the buildings were always of big size. It should be pointed out that one of the main functions of the Village in its origin was to support the prison also established at that time. Strategically the village should not be seen from the sea.

The REMÉDIOS VILLAGE rose as the main urban nucleus of the island. From XVIII century on there operated the administration with its public buildings, the prison lodgings and the workshops for the prisoners, the church, the command square, the living houses, the storehouse, the school, the hospital and the warehouses for stocking the agricultural production and commodities sent from the mainland.

The village was also the starting point of the stone covered streets, using the "cabeça de nego" system, and having always in mind the need of draining the rainwater and the soil conservation, which was carefully observed in the streets and yards.

During over two hundred years this nucleus was used and maintained in its original structure with only small changes and inclusions. In 1938, as the archipelago returned to the Union, the village was in a good shape under the architectonic point of view.

The big interferences and transformations were mainlu made from 1942 on, after the occupation during World War II. A part of the old urbanistic appearance was then lost and the influence of the prefabricated buildings arose, due to their practicability in emergency times, thus becoming a technological reference.