Porto Alegre is the capital city of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, in southern Brazil. On the main square, Praça Marechal Deodoro, is the Renaissance-style Metropolitan Cathedral, with religious murals on the outside. The neoclassical Piratini Palace houses the state government. The 19th-century São Pedro Theater is nearby. The city is known as a gateway to the tall canyons of Aparados da Serra National Park.