| São João del-Rei | |
| Official Name: | Municipality of São João del-Rei |
| Settlement Type: | Municipality |
| Mapsize: | 250px |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Type2: | Region |
| Subdivision Type3: | Intermediate Region |
| Subdivision Type4: | Immediate Region |
| Subdivision Name: |  Brazil |
| Subdivision Name2: | Southeast |
| Subdivision Name3: | Barbacena |
| Subdivision Name4: | São João del-Rei |
| Established Title: | Founded |
| Established Date: | 8 December 1713 |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Nivaldo José de Andrade |
| Leader Party: | UNIÃO |
| Area Total Km2: | 1,452.002 |
| Population As Of: | 2022 |
| Population Total: | 90,225 |
| Population Footnotes: | [1] |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Demonym: | são-joanense |
| Timezone: | BRT |
| Utc Offset: | -3 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal Code |
| Postal Code: | 36300-000 to 36319-999 |
| Area Code Type: | Area code |
| Area Code: | +55 32 |
| Coordinates: | -21.1358°N -44.26°W |
| Elevation M: | 904 |
| Elevation Footnotes: | [2] |
| Blank Name: | HDI (2010) |
| Blank Info: | 0.758 – high[3] |
| Blank Name Sec2: | Major airport |
| Blank Info Sec2: | São João del-Rei Airport |
São João del-Rei is a Brazilian municipality in the state of Minas Gerais. Founded in 1713 in homage to king John V of Portugal, the city is famed for its historic Portuguese colonial architecture. The current population is estimated at 90,225 inhabitants.
It is located in the drainage basin of the Rio Grande and its terrain is located in the Mantiqueira mountains. It is a centre for the cities in the south and southeast of Minas Gerais.
The municipality contains part of the Ritápolis National Forest.
According to the modern (2017) geographic classification by Brazil's National Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), the municipality belongs to the Immediate Geographic Region of São João del-Rei, in the Intermediate Geographic Region of Barbacena.[4]
The municipality has five rural districts.[5]
The city was founded by the bandeirantes; Tomé Portes del-Rei is considered the city's founder. The original small village situated in southern Minas Gerais was created as a staging post on the Estrada Real, a trade route from the coast at Paraty to cities in the central region of Minas Gerais such as Ouro Preto, Mariana and Conselheiro Lafaiete. Later huge amounts of gold were found near the city itself.
Today, São João del-Rei is a university town. The campus of the Federal University of São João del-Rei (UFSJ) and a number of other educational institutions are present in the city. A second medical school is to be established at the University.
The city has many famous religious festivals through the year, most of them preserving the way it was celebrated by the time of the foundation, with baroque music and special celebrations that attracts tourists from all over the world, particularly during Holy Week, when the town receives the greatest influx of visitors.
The city is 12 km from Tiradentes. Other historical cities in Minas Gerais are Ouro Preto, Diamantina, Mariana, Congonhas and Sabará.
The city is home to Athletic Club (1909), an association football team that plays in the First Division of Campeonato Mineiro, along with Cruzeiro, Atlético and América.
São João del-Rei was an important station on the Estrada de Ferro Oeste de Minas, a narrow gauge railway characterised by woodburning steam locomotives, and the location of a major roundhouse. The station and surrounding facilities have been turned into Brazil's largest railway museum, and a tourist railway operates from the station to the well preserved colonial town of Tiradentes.