The Neoenergia Institute is bringing its Cultural Lighting Program to the municipality of Igarassu, in the Recife Metropolitan Region of Pernambuco, in partnership with the City Government and the Archdiocese of Olinda and Recife. Now in its ninth edition, the initiative will, for the first time, simultaneously feature two cultural venues: the Igarassu Historical Museum and the Mother Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian, the oldest church in Brazil still in operation. Both venues will receive new scenic lighting.

Created in 2015, the Cultural Lighting Program aims to preserve the country’s iconic buildings, highlighting their legacy, supporting socioeconomic development, and strengthening sustainable tourism. The project combines the installation of new scenic lighting with a series of educational initiatives and activities to promote cultural heritage, involving students, teachers, and the community.

“We believe that safeguarding Brazil’s historical heritage is directly linked to the promotion of cultural traditions. Fostering the population’s connection to its identity is a way to strengthen local memory, driving social inclusion, job and income generation, and the creation of new opportunities. We expect that the revitalization of these two landmarks in Igarassu will serve as a driver of development for tourism and the region’s economy,” says Renata Chagas, CEO of the Neoenergia Institute.

One of the pillars of the project is the promotion of heritage education. The initiative will be carried out in partnership with 13 schools in the Igarassu municipal school system, with support from educators and experts, directly impacting approximately 300 students. The schedule includes history immersion sessions, guided tours of the featured heritage sites, engagement workshops, and recreational activities. The content covers the history of Igarassu, local figures, and the importance of collective memory. In this way, both the museum and the church also become living classrooms, connecting the past, present, and future.

The Origins of Brazil and Pernambuco

The selection of these sites reflects the importance of Igarassu, one of Brazil’s earliest settlements and a municipality considered the “mother city” of the state of Pernambuco. The Mother Church of Saints Cosmas and Damian, inaugurated in 1535, is recognized by the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage (IPHAN) as the oldest functioning church in Brazil.

The Igarassu Historical Museum ,meanwhile, was founded in 1954 with the creation of the “Galeria da Restauração Pernambucana” by the Igarassu Historical Institute. The museum occupies three 18th-century houses and features 250 exhibits on display, as well as an archive containing documentation from the 18th through the 20th centuries. With support from the Neoenergia Institute, the revitalization of these spaces and the educational initiatives focus on highlighting Pernambuco’s historical legacy and boosting local tourism.

Illuminating knowledge, reviving traditions, and strengthening roots

The Cultural Illumination Program combines the installation of scenic lighting—which highlights the buildings’ unique architectural elements—with research activities, cultural interventions, and educational initiatives involving local communities. The central objective is to strengthen communities’ ties to their cultural facilities and increase the visibility of historic areas with tourism potential.

Over more than a decade, the Program has promoted the revitalization of eight monuments: Cruz de Cabrália, in Santa Cruz de Cabrália (BA); Forte das Cinco Pontas, in Recife (PE); Fortaleza da Barra Grande, in Guarujá (SP); the Câmara Cascudo Memorial, in Natal (RN); the Guarany Theater and Cinema, in Triunfo (PE); the Senhora Santana Church, in Rio de Contas (BA); Nossa Senhora da Conceição Convent in Itanhaém (SP); and the Lauro da Escóssia Historical Museum (RN).