São Carlos School of Dona Francisca (RS): memory, architecture and revitalization project of a historic school heritage site

Abstract

This article analyzes the historical, architectural and cultural trajectory of the São Carlos School, located in Dona Francisca (RS), as an educational and religious heritage. The research is based on a qualitative and documentary approach, anchored in historical and documentary sources and analysis of the architectural restoration project, contextualizing the construction of the school in 1934 and administered by the Congregation of the Pallottine Sisters, its role as a boarding school, its decline after the opening of a state school and subsequent fire in 1990 and the current proposal to revitalize the building as a Cultural Center. The study highlights the building's symbolic value to the community, highlighting the importance of its preservation as an element of local identity. Through an analysis of collective memory and the preserved architectural features, the school's relevance as a historical landmark deserving of recognition and protection is defended.