REVITALIZAÇÃO DA FESTA DO BOM JESUS: UM PROCESSO DE PRESERVAÇÃO DO PATRIMÔNIO CULTURAL EM UMA UNIDADE DE CONSERVAÇÃO

Abstract

In 1998, Anchieta Island State Park (AISP) underwent a revitalization process under the Public Use Program. At the same time, renovation work began on the island’s chapel, “Good Jesus of Anchieta Island”, encouraged by the “Children of the Island” (a group of former island residents from its period as a prision). The managers of the conservation unit played an important role in creating closer ties with the local community, forming a partnership for historical preservation which, on August 6, 1999, resulted in the first Good Jesus Party in AISP. To describe this revitalization of the historical and cultural heritage within the conservation unit, studies were made of both documented literature and the stories and memories of the former island residents about the chapel – questionnaires were also distributed to guests at the Good Jesus Party in 2004, 2005 and 2006. Eight Good Jesus Parties took place in AISP, with a total of 3336 participants. One hundred and forty-eight (148) people were interviewed, the majority being women (54%). The most prevalent age groups were from 15 to 35 years old (40%) and from 41 to 60 years old (40%). 34% of the interviewees stated that their main reason for attending the party was to “have a day out”, while 38% attended for religious reasons. From the former residents’ statements, it was clear that the revitalization of the chapel and the Good Jesus Party are a re-encountering of privileged space, to meet others that share the same experiences and memories of a place with such collective significance. For these former residents of Anchieta Island, the Good Jesus Party has become an opportunity to revive the collective memory and to allow the formation of new ties within a space which is now a conservation unit . Key words: Revitalization. Renovation. Historical Heritage. Cultural Heritage. Religious Party. Conservation Unit. Anchieta Island State Park.