[Cristina Mello and her role in the preservation of the historical buildings of Fiocruz at Manguinhos].

Interview with the architect and professor Maria Cristina Fernandes de Mello, who, among other architectural heritage conservation and restoration activities, played an important role in the events that led to the creation of the Department of Historical Heritage at Casa de Oswaldo Cruz. A broader analysis of her professional trajectory could help draw links between theory and practice in the safeguarding of cultural assets in Brazil, especially in the 1980s.