Monument to Bento Gonçalves

The Monument to Bento Gonçalves is an equestrian statue depicting one of the leaders of the Ragamuffin War (Revolução Farroupilha), located in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Inaugurated in 1936 and created by Antônio Caringi, the statue was initially placed in a prominent location in Parque Farroupilha but was moved to Praça Piratini in 1941.

Monument to Bento Gonçalves
Equestrian statue in Praça Piratini
Location	Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
Coordinates
Owner	Antônio Caringi

History

In 1934, the year before the centennial of the Ragamuffin War, a competition was held in Porto Alegre to select a sculpture to be installed near the Ponte da Azenha, the site of the war's outbreak. The sculpture was to represent General Bento Gonçalves. Learning of this, Antônio Caringi, who was studying at the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich, returned to Brazil to participate in the competition. Caringi presented models of the sculpture at the Theatro São Pedro to journalists. After winning the competition, he gathered elements representing the general and returned to Germany, where he constructed the monument. The statue was transported to Brazil by ship the following year.

On January 15, 1936, diverging from the initial plan, the monument was inaugurated and installed in Parque Farroupilha on the final day of the festivities commemorating the centenary of the Ragamuffin War in Porto Alegre. The unveiling ceremony was attended by Generals Flores da Cunha and Parga, as well as the city's mayor, Alberto Bins, and the state's governor, José Antônio Flores da Cunha.

In 1941, the equestrian statue was moved to Praça Piratini, a location where the new building of the Colégio Júlio de Castilhos was later constructed, inaugurated in 1958. At its new site, the statue was placed on a taller pedestal, bearing the inscription “Compatriots! The name of the Homeland has never sounded in vain to my ears!”, a quote from the manifesto of September 25, 1835, in which the Ragamuffin leader spoke about the causes of the southern movement.