Terreiro de Jesus

The Cathedral Basilica of Salvador, formerly the school and church of the Jesuits, is the most prominent structure in the Terreiro de Jesus, and occupies the west of the square.

[2]  The presence of many Jesuit priests in the area surrounding the church and school led to the plaza being known as the "Terreiro de Jesus."

The interior had magnificent tile walls, an elaborate painted wood ceiling depicting notable Jesuits, and furniture inlaid with tortoise shell.

[5] The Urban Planning Commission of the City of Salvador (CPUCS) invited the landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx to modernize the square in 1948.

Marx replaced the existing flooring with a parterre of sinuous Portuguese tiles in black and white, and local materials such as shells and beach pebbles.

View of the Terreiro de Jesus, with the Cathedral in the background, photographed in 1862. The old Colégio dos Jesuítas de Salvador (Salvador Jesuit School) is next to the church.
O Terreiro de Jesus in 2012