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Santo Amaro (Santo Amaro)

Santo Amaro, also known as Santo Amaro da Purificação, is a municipality in the state of Bahia in Brazil. The population is 60,131 (2020 est.) in an area of 492.9 km2. It is located in the metropolitan area of Salvador. Santo Amaro is located approximately 73 km from the city of Salvador. Santo Amaro was home to numerous indigenous peoples until the arrival of the Portuguese, who developed the region for sugarcane production. Santo Amaro is now noted for its numerous historic structures. The city is also a center of Candomblé, having more than 60 terreiros, or temples of the religion.

Santo Amaro was home to Caeté, Pitiguaras, and Carijós peoples prior to the Portuguese colonization of Brazil. The region became an early center of sugarcane production under the Portuguese, with settlements primarily along the Subaé River. It, along with Cachoeira and Nazaré, became early regional urban and economic centers of the Recôncavo region. Santo Amaro was part of the municipality of São Francisco do Conde until 1727.

The city has numerous historic structures as a result of its colonial past, most notably the Parish Church of Our Lady of Purification (Igreja Matriz Santo Amaro da Purificação). Other historic structures include the remains of the mansions of former sugar barons and a municipal palace built in 1769. The area is noted for its nearby beaches, the Falls of Vitória, and the grotto of Bom Jesus dos Pobres. The town features prominently in the novel The War of the Saints by Jorge Amado.