The Military Obelisk of Brasília is a monument in Brazil erected at the Army Headquarters in front of the Concha Acústica in Brasília, the Federal District.
Background and purpose of the monument Oscar Niemeyer first incorporated an obelisk into one of his works when he participated in the competition organized by the Ministry of Education and Health to select a project for the National Athletic Center in Rio de Janeiro. Niemeyer's project was not built. In 1949, Niemeyer also designed the Monument to Ruy Barbosa in Rio de Janeiro, which was not constructed either. He later revisited the project, and the obelisk was finally constructed in 1967 in the new capital. The military named it the "Sword of Duque de Caxias." The monument was erected in Brasília to honor Luís Alves de Lima e Silva, Duke of Caxias, the patron of the Brazilian Army.
Architecture
The architectural design of the monument dedicated to Duke of Caxias, known as the Acoustic Shell, includes an obelisk in the front. The combination of these two elements symbolically represents the hilt and blade of the patron of the Brazilian Army's sword. According to Vitruvios, a magazine specializing in architecture, the project was signed by Oscar Niemeyer and is characterized as follows:
See also Obelisk of Acre Obelisk of Bahia Obelisk of São Paulo
References
Bibliography CARDOZO, Joaquim. Apud MATOSO MACEDO, Danilo; ARCADIO SOBREIRA, José Fabiano (Org.). Forma Estática – Forma Estética, Essays on Architecture and Engineering. Brasília: Câmara dos Deputados, Edições Câmara, 2009.