Air Force publishes video about the transfer of the heart of Dom Pedro 1° to Brazil

After being responsible for bringing, from Portugal, the heart of d. Pedro 1º, the FAB (Brazilian Air Force) now shows details about the operation and care involved with the organ.

Borrowed by the Portuguese government, the heart of d. Pedro is preserved in formaldehyde and was transported from Portugal for the first time in 187 years. Therefore, the release for the trip only took place after a team evaluated the conditions of the organ and ensured that there would be no risks.

The heart was shipped in a pressurized environment and the entire structure for exposing the material was dismantled for transport.

The superintendent of the Public Security Police of Portugal, Antônio Leitão da Silva, explained that, despite having been a complex process due to the originality, the transfer was carefully planned with FAB.

“The articulation was made with the Brazilian authorities, who from the first moment, proved to be extraordinarily dedicated, professional and deeply committed to the operation going particularly well, even providing an FAB aircraft to transfer the heart of d. Pedro 1°”, he informed.

Ceremony in Brasilia

It was aboard the VC-99 Legacy aircraft, escorted by two F-5M fighter jets, that the heart arrived in the federal capital this Monday (22), being received with the honors of head of state by the Minister of Defense, Paulo Sérgio Nogueira de Oliveira; by the commander of the Brazilian Air Force, Air Lieutenant Brigadier Carlos de Almeida Baptista Junior; by the Portuguese ambassador to Brazil, Luís Filipe Melo and Faro Ramos; and other civil and military authorities.

“Today, the heart of this national hero, the first emperor of Brazil, called ‘O Libertador,'” said Minister Paulo Sérgio Nogueira during the ceremony, under the wings of the Air Force.

For the Portuguese ambassador to Brazil, Luis Filipe Melo and Faro Ramos, Portugal’s association with the bicentennial celebrations shows the good relationship built between the two nations. “For us it is always a source of great satisfaction to see that on the Brazilian side there was this request and this affection for the relic that unites Portugal and Brazil”, he highlighted.

The mayor of Porto, Rui Moreira, said that the moment is an opportunity to value Porto’s role in the relationship between Portugal and Brazil. “By temporarily giving away this cultural asset, the municipality of Porto is not only honoring Brazil, but also promoting the deepening and dynamization between these two sister countries”, he highlighted.

The organ will be taken back to Portugal on September 9, after the celebrations of the 200th anniversary of the Independence of Brazil. The organ will still be on display for two more days in the city of Porto.