Pedro I's heart significant event exhibition
Bicentennial of Brazilian Independence
In the context of the bicentennial celebrations of the Independence of Brazil, Dom Pedro I's heart was transported to Brazil and exhibited in Brasilia.The coming of the body to Brazil was idealized by Nise Yamaguchi in the first half of 2022, in dialogue with President Jair Bolsonaro, and the descendants of Dom Pedro, Federal Deputy Luiz Philippe de Orléans e Bragança and Bertrand of Orléans-Braganza. The deputy, great-great-great-grandson of Dom Pedro I, is said to have traveled to Porto, where he made contact with those responsible for the Lapa Church and with members of the City Council. The Brazilian Embassy in Lisbon and the Brazilian consulate got involved in the negotiation, proposing that the heart be temporarily loaned for the bicentennial festivities.Both the City Council and the Third Order of Lapa showed no opposition to the proposal, provided that the safety of the heart was ensured. The President of the Portuguese Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, had been consulted, and suggested that the loan of the relic be in fact carried out. To ensure that the heart would not be damaged during transport to Brazil, an expert study was ordered by the National Institute of Legal Medicine, conducted by researchers from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto and the Abel Salazar Biomedical Sciences Institute. The study concluded that there would be no risk to the relic, provided it was transported in a pressurized chamber on the plane.Thus, in a session on July 18, the Porto City Council unanimously approved the proposal for the loan of the heart. The approved proposal considers that all costs related to transport will be the responsibility of the Brazilian government, and establishes the legal basis for the effective transfer of the relic.On July 22, the heart was brought from Portugal in a Brazilian Air Force plane, and received with honors as head of state, transported in the presidential Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith, and escorted by the 1st Cavalry Regiment of Guards. Finally, an official session was held with President Jair Bolsonaro on the ramp of the Planalto Palace.The solemnity and the exposition of Dom Pedro I's heart were criticized, especially for the cost of the transfer and the morbidity of the tributes. It was also criticized the fact that, with the coming of the organ to Brazil, Dom Pedro I's last request was not respected, since he had asked for the heart to remain in Portugal.