HISTORY OF
Casino Monte Serrat

Santos Like You’ve Never Seen It Before!!

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THE HISTORY

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Casino Monte Serrat Santos, envisioned by six Spanish immigrant partners to honor the original Montserrat located in Catalonia, Spain, was a grand, imposing, and renowned tourist and events complex from 1927 (its inauguration) to 1946. After gambling was banned in the country, this tourist facility was preserved by the Vallejo family, owners of the site, and it still operates today as an important tourist attraction in the State of São Paulo, in the city of Santos, Brazil.

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Many glamorous events, balls, important dinners, and performances by famous artists of the time took place in the charming halls of Casino Monte Serrat Santos. Some of the renowned artists who frequently performed at the former Casino included Carmen Miranda, Francisco Alves, Sílvio Caldas, and Isaurinha Garcia.

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In 1934, with the legalization of gambling in Brazil, an English businessman, upon discovering and falling in love with the venue, decided to lease the ground floor of the four-story building to install a casino, which operated for 12 years (from 1934 to 1946) with the purpose of entertaining major celebrities and public figures, such as bankers from São Paulo, coffee barons, governors, foreigners arriving on lavish transatlantic liners, and even presidents of the republic.

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After gambling was prohibited in Brazil in 1946, this Santos giant came to be managed solely by one of the founding partners, Manoel Vallejo, who hoped that Monte Serrat, even without the attraction of the casino itself, could still draw visitors and people curious and thirsty for history and culture. That’s why he decided to continue taking care of the establishment until his death at the age of 69, in 1956.

The building's structure, constructed with materials brought entirely from Europe by ships, sits atop the hill, approximately 150 meters above sea level. The elegant flooring of the building is made of Swiss Carrara marble, and the stained-glass windows are Belgian.

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Although the project dated back to 1910, the tourist complex was only completed and inaugurated in 1927—that is, it took 17 years to finish due to the difficulties of ship arrivals during World War I.

Visitor access to the site is through a funicular tram system, designed and imported from Germany at the time of construction. The machinery responsible for operating the funiculars remains in the century-old Engine Room in the upper station building of Casino Monte Serrat.

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This tourist facility not only offers visits to the Casino building, but also takes the faithful to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Monte Serrat, the Patron Saint of the city of Santos, built in 1604.

The location of Casino Monte Serrat is strategic!! It is right at the entrance to the city of Santos and is very close to the largest port in Latin America (Port of Santos), offering a privileged 360-degree view of the Baixada Santista!

Currently, the Vallejo family, heirs of the estate, proudly and devotedly preserve this Santos treasure. They maintain and conserve the historical features of the site, the facilities of the century-old casino building with its period architecture, original furnishings, culture, and values, with open doors to anyone who wants to learn about the history of this incredible complex.

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The company Casino Monte Serrat operates not only in tourism and commerce, but also provides accessibility through its trams to a hillside community of approximately 3,000 residents that has formed on the slope over the years. Besides the trams, there is no other way to access the top of the hill, except by the steep climb of 402 steps built along the Monte Serrat staircase.

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In this way, Monte Serrat continues to enchant visitors who ascend to the top of the hill to honor its history, experience the feeling of going back in time, and admire the beautiful and rich view of the Baixada and the Port of Santos, as it is the highest tourist point in the city. From its lookout point, it is possible to see the Santos beach shoreline, the continental part of Guarujá, and even the city of Cubatão. Several tourist spots appear on the horizon, such as part of Vila Belmiro, the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Rosary, the Coliseu Theater, the Coffee Exchange Museum tower, the Valongo Tram Station, the Pelé Museum, Praça dos Andradas, the Parish of São João Batista on Nova Cintra Hill, next to São Bento Hill, as well as much of the Serra do Mar.

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THE ENGINE ROOM

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The system is composed of a main motor, dating from the same era as the project, with 76 hp, and a secondary one, slightly newer, with 98 hp. Both operate on electric power.

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The tram features automatic and manual brakes, controlled by a pedal and a lever operated by the driver. The system also includes two wheels, one smaller and one larger, with teeth made of ipê wood to prevent friction with the steel gears, thereby avoiding a deafening noise during tram operation.

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The larger wheel supports the steel cable, nearly 2 inches thick, that pulls the trams and operates with fish oil-based lubrication.

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THE SANCTUARY AND THE SAINT

 

In 1604, when Brazil was under the Spanish rule of Philip II, the Monte Serrat sanctuary was built by order of the then-governor-general Dom Francisco de Souza, a devotee of the Virgin, who entrusted it to the Benedictine monks.

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Our Lady of Monte Serrat received the title of Patron Saint of the city of Santos in 1954 and was officially declared so by the Pope on September 8, 1955—a date which became a municipal holiday when a grand annual celebration is held at the sanctuary and the tourist complex in her honor.

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Among the miracles attributed to Our Lady is a rockslide over Dutch corsairs who, in 1614, led by Joris van Spilbergen, docked in Santos to plunder the village. Citizens from the towns of Santos and São Vicente sought refuge at the top of the hill to protect themselves from the invaders and began to pray for the Virgin's protection. The corsairs, upon realizing that the locals were hiding on the hill, began to climb, but were killed by the landslide. Those who survived immediately surrendered and left.

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The Saint is also the protector of sailors and is credited with another great miracle: she saved the national ship Aguarary from an imminent shipwreck in 1926. The crew had lost control amid a storm and decided to kneel on deck, pray, and invoke Our Lady, promising a thanksgiving Mass if the steamship managed to dock safely in Santos. The storm soon ceased, and the sea calmed. The crew fulfilled their promise at the Monte Serrat Sanctuary, inviting officers and sailors from all the ships docked at the port to the ceremony.

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TODAY’S ACTIVITIES AT CASINO MONTE SERRAT

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Currently the Casino offers family entertainment for everyone, with varieties and fun options for all ages and tastes:

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• Baby area in the cafeteria and Kids area in the outdoor space of the cafeteria for older children

• 7-meter-high climbing tower

• Handicraft market (composed of women residents from the Monte Serrat hill community)

• Historical Routes (with guides speaking about the importance of Monte Serrat hill to the city, showcasing the Casino building and the century-old engine room), telling the history of the site since the time of its construction and the miracle stories that turned the sanctuary’s saint into the city’s patron saint

• Public themed dances

• Cafeteria with various options (coffee, savory snacks and cakes, lunches, platters, and several types of cold drinks)

• School, tourist, and religious excursions

• Cultural events (such as dance and theater performances) and music and handicraft festivals in partnership with producers from the Baixada Santista