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HomeÁguas Santas Station
Águas Santas Station
A water spring with healing powers, located at the foot of the São José Mountain, was discovered in the late 19th century by José Rodrigues de Miranda. Around the same time, pharmacist Antônio Gonçalves Araújo Penna verified that the water found was radioactive and thermal, and he built a spa on his farm. This location became an attraction for residents throughout the Vertentes region. Inaugurated in 1911, the Águas Santas Branch and Station remained active until 1966, when it was demolished and the area was flooded by an artificial lake. In 1915, the Nossa Senhora da Saúde Chapel was inaugurated, where masses and religious festivities are held.

Pode vir chegando que eu vou contar pra ocês um pouco da história dessas bandas de cá. Me chamo Dona Delfina, nasci em 1905 e já vi foi muita coisa nessa vida!

- Dona Delfina

Tales of the Discovery of Águas Santas

There are several narratives surrounding the discovery. One story recounts that in the 19th century, José Rodrigues de Miranda found a spring in this region and constructed a tank to collect the water flowing down from the mountains, creating “Ranchinho” (Little Ranch), a spot where residents often swam. In another version, it is said that a young man left home to purchase medicine for his mother but met friends along the way and forgot his mission. Since he no longer had time to buy the medicine, he filled a bottle with water flowing down from the mountains and brought it to his mother, who was cured of her ailment. Another tale recounts the story of Antônio Gonçalves Araújo Penna, a pharmacist from Rio de Janeiro, who treated locals at the end of the 19th century. One day, he treated an enslaved man with severe wounds on his legs and feet. He prescribed an ointment and instructed the man to wash the wounds thoroughly. The man used water from the spring to cleanse his wounds, and after some time, he was healed. Surprised by the rapid recovery, as the ointment alone would not have such an effect, Araújo Penna analyzed the water and discovered that the spring possessed healing properties.

Impressions of Águas Santas in the second half of the 19th century

In 1868, the journey of English naturalist and scholar Richard Francis Burton to Minas Gerais confirmed the existence of the water spring in the region and its medicinal properties. In his travel report, he mentions the “São José baths” located beyond Serra de São José: “Beyond the northern hills lie Caldas or São José Baths, better known as Águas Santas.” According to Mrs. Copsy, the springs have a temperature of 22.2°C (71,96 °F) and are rich in sodium carbonate. They were compared to Buton, which is at 33.3°C (91,94 °F), noted for being beneficial for rheumatism and rich in magnesium sodium chloride.

The Rio de Janeiro writer Carlos Laert, during his visit to Minas Gerais around 1893, wrote about daily life in São João del-Rei and Tiradentes, sharing his impressions: “The northern part, which rises, leads to Águas Santas, a place surrounded by mountains, from which water flows down forming a stream, attributed with medicinal properties. Of the springs that originate it, one is ferrous, and the others are thermal.”

Early Residents of Águas Santas

In the early 19th century, the first inhabitants of the village then known as Águas Santas de São José were José Rodrigues de Miranda and his wife, Delfina Maria de Boa Morte, who migrated from the city of Barbacena. They settled on a farm called Capão do Urubu, located at the foothills of Serra de São José, near today's Balneário das Águas Santas (Águas Santas Spa Town) and Capela de Nossa Senhora da Saúde (Our Lady of Health Chapel). Initially called Águas Santas de São José, in reference to the thermal waters and the nearby mountains, the village eventually became known simply as Águas Santas.

Balneário das Águas Santas

Balneário das Águas Santas (Águas Santas Spa Town) originated from the discovery of mineral water springs in the area. In the late 19th century, pharmacist Antônio Gonçalves Araújo Penna built the spa to provide free treatments using the thermal waters. José Rodrigues Miranda was tasked with managing the spa, and in the 1920s, he created a lake for boating. The facilities included separate sanitary installations for men and women, along with showers. By the 1930s, the lake was transformed into a concrete swimming pool with both shallow and deep ends, and a diving board. Over the years, upgrades included a tile-lined pool, additional showers, restrooms, and a bar.

Several people have managed the spa over the years. Owned by the city, in 1972, it donated the Araújo Penna Spa Resort to the State of Minas Gerais, with Hidrominas overseeing its administration. Currently, Minas Development Company (Codemge) owns the hydro-mineral complex.

Águas Santas Station – The Laundresses' Train

As the last stop on its branch line, Águas Santas Station was built to transport residents and those from São João del-Rei to enjoy the thermal waters. It opened in 1911 and remained operational until 1966. After its closure, the station was demolished, and the site was flooded by an artificial lake. Upon reaching the final station, the train driver would let passengers off and then begin the process of turning the locomotive using a turntable. The station was located near Balneário das Águas Santas, where laundresses and ironers used the railway to transport laundry bundles to São João del-Rei. For this reason, this branch line became known as the “Laundresses' Train.” Presently, the site is home to the “Casa das Águas” (Águas Museum), overseen by the Minas Gerais Forestry Institute, which protects the historical and natural heritage of the São José Environmental Preservation Area and the State Wildlife Refuge Libélulas da Serra de São José.

Capela Nossa Senhora da Saúde (Our Lady of Health Chapel)

The chapel's origins trace back to the arrival of the Araújo Penna family at the Fazenda das Águas Santas (Águas Santas Farm) in 1889. At the request of the pharmacist Antônio Gonçalves Araújo Penna, a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Health (Nossa Senhora da Saúde) was inaugurated in 1915, as his wife had recovered from an illness. In 1920, following Araújo Penna's death, his wife and children donated the chapel to the Franciscan friars of São João del-Rei. Until the 1960s, residents from the current neighborhoods of Giarola and Colônia do Marçal in São João del-Rei also used the Águas Santas railway branch to attend masses at the chapel and participate in religious festivals. One such event is the festival in honor of Saints Peter and Paul on June 29, which features solemn masses, processions, and stalls selling tangerines from the Longatti family and sweets from the family of Francisco Rodrigues de Carvalho, known as Senhor Chico (Mr. Chico), a local resident.

One of the first residents

“Dona Delfina's father, José Rodrigues de Miranda, was among the first residents of Águas Santas. There are no written records about Zé Rodrigues de Miranda. What little we know comes from his death certificate and the oral accounts provided by Delfina Passos Vieira's grandchildren and her cousin Francisco Rodrigues, who also lived here but whom I never met. They had a large family, deeply rooted in this area.”

Maria do Carmo Lopes de Oliveira Braga, retired librarian, researcher and resident of Águas Santas.

The Balneário

“Araújo Penna was instrumental in developing the Spa Town. Originating from Rio de Janeiro, he was well-off compared to the impoverished locals. He constructed the swimming pool and built bathrooms. Over the years, management evolved, enhancing the facilities at the spa. […] We often visited Águas Santas; my older siblings, who always had cars, would drive us there.”

Maria do Carmo Lopes de Oliveira Braga, retired librarian, researcher and resident of Águas Santas.

Lake and Pool

“The area was known for a waterfall that formed a lake where people bathed and treated their skin diseases. Later, a pool was constructed to prevent injuries from scratches. However, the pool had a sudden deep end that could give you quite a scare if you ventured too far.”

João Bosco Barbosa, retired, son of the head of São João del-Rei Station.

The means of transport

"The train was the lifeline for Águas Santas residents. It departed from São João del-Rei, stopped at places like Chagas Dória, passed by the Church of Matozinhos, and then crossed the bridge over Rio das Mortes on its way to Águas Santas. At that time, buses were scarce, so most people either walked or took the train."

Carlos Fernando Santos Braga, administrator and resident of Águas Santas.

The power of the waters

“There are numerous tales, many legends of people who would walk through the creek with ailments in their legs, and miraculously, they found their legs healed. Then there was the arrival of Araújo Penna, who discovered the healing powers of these waters.

Carlos Fernando Santos Braga, administrator and resident of Águas Santas.

Holy Water

“People visited the spa to swim. The waters were considered holy, used for leg baths and full-body showers. Many came from São João to collect the water, believed to be beneficial for health and capable of healing. It was a great help to many, but then the tradition eventually faded.”

Maria Trindade Rezende Souza, a resident of the César de Pina neighborhood.

Biscuit, pudding and mass

“I used to visit Águas Santas once a month for mass, a common practice for everyone in this area. We would take the train there and back. After mass, Seu Chico would sell his cookies and notably his puddings—they were so delicious they drove us wild. We also attended Nossa Senhora da Saúde Church during the festivities for Saints Peter and Paul, always traveling by train.”

Ivone da Conceição Longatti, resident of the Colônia do Giarola neighborhood in São João del-Rei.

From Águas Santas to the church

“We often used the train to attend mass in Águas Santas, at Nossa Senhora da Saúde Church. We'd board the train at César de Pina Station. On days we couldn't afford the train fare, we walked, following the railway tracks to and from the spa, which was located between the track and the station.”

Maria Trindade Rezende Souza, a resident of the César de Pina neighborhood.

Filhos e netos de Sr. Araújo Penna e Dona Joanna ao lado dos banheiros públicos do Balneário, datado de 1909. Autoria desconhecida, 1909. Acervo Família Araújo Penna. Livro Águas Santas, memórias de uma época em nossos corações, Maria do Carmo Lopes de Oliveira Braga, 2019.

Fachada da Capela Nossa Senhora da Saúde. Autoria desconhecida, 1989. Acervo Família Araújo Penna. Livro Águas Santas, memórias de uma época em nossos corações, Maria do Carmo Lopes de Oliveira Braga, 2019.

Capela Nossa Senhora da Saúde, restaurada. Autoria desconhecida. Década de 1990. Acervo Família Araújo Penna. Livro Águas Santas, memórias de uma época em nossos corações, Maria do Carmo Lopes de Oliveira Braga, 2019.

Pontilhão sobre o rio das Mortes no ramal de São João del-Rei à Águas Santas. Autoria desconhecida, década de 1940. Livro Águas Santas, memórias de uma época em nossos corações, Maria do Carmo Lopes de Oliveira Braga, 2019.

Balneário de Águas Santas. 
Autor desconhecido, década de 1980. Acervo Luiz Cruz.

Balneário de Águas Santas.  Autor desconhecido, década de 1980. Acervo Luiz Cruz.

Vista do balneário – década de 1960. Autoria desconhecida. Acervo Família Abreu. Livro Águas Santas, memórias de uma época em nossos corações, Maria do Carmo Lopes de Oliveira Braga, 2019.

Missa ao ar livre na Capela Nossa Senhora da Saúde. Autoria desconhecida, 1960. Acervo Família Rodrigues de Carvalho. Livro Águas Santas, memórias de uma época em nossos corações, Maria do Carmo Lopes de Oliveira Braga, 2019.

Crianças na borda da piscina do balneário – década de 1950. Autoria desconhecida, sem data. Acervo Luiz Antônio Ferreira. Livro Águas Santas, memórias de uma época em nossos corações, Maria do Carmo Lopes de Oliveira Braga, 2019.

Estação das Águas Santas com crianças e os frades franciscanos. F. Franciscano, 1948. Acervo de Fernando Braga. Livro Águas Santas, memórias de uma época em nossos corações, Maria do Carmo Lopes de Oliveira Braga, 2019.

Piscina e trampolim no balneário – década de 1960. Autoria desconhecida. Acervo Família Abreu. Livro Águas Santas, memórias de uma época em nossos corações, Maria do Carmo Lopes de Oliveira Braga, 2019.

Balneário das Águas Santas na década de 1940. Autoria desconhecida, sem data. Acervo Família Antônio Hipólito e Maria José Moura do Nascimento. Livro Águas Santas, memórias de uma época em nossos corações, Maria do Carmo Lopes de Oliveira Braga, 2019.

Estação Águas Santas. Autoria desconhecida, década de 1950. Livro Águas Santas, memórias de uma época em nossos corações, Maria do Carmo Lopes de Oliveira Braga, 2019.

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