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Viana do Castelo – Monuments to visit pt.1

It’s hard to resist the charm of the city of Viana do Castelo, when the light creates geometric shadows among the majestic historic buildings, where the Manueline styles, Baroque, Revival and Art Deco predominate. The streets and alleys of the historic center, one of the most beautiful and preserved the country, draw our attention either by the beautiful armoriadas facades, or by panels of precious tiles on the dash and color, constituting an authentic compendium of the history of architecture in Portugal .

Fountain Square of the Republic (century. XVI)

Was built, or at least completed in 1559, and master’s work site João Lopes “old”, the same as a few years earlier had executed the fountain of walks and, most likely, some of the like fountains that can be found in Galician cities such as Pontevedra. It was for several centuries the drinking water supply point of the Viennese population and for its monumentality and location, one of the borough urban references.

Town Hall old (century. XVI)

After the former place of the county meeting was occupied by the church of Santa Maria Maggiore (now Cathedral) was built out of doors this Town Hall at the very beginning of the sixteenth century. It is, like so many other similar constructions of the Hispanic Northwest, one sobradado building, and the main floor the “Camera” which united the town council and on the ground floor an archway to shelter people and scribes who here drew up, for the illiterate, Requirements other documents addressed to the House.

Building of Mercy and Church (century. XVI)

Having been established in 1520, the Brotherhood of Mercy Viana, developed in such a way that at the beginning of the second quarter of the sixteenth century the table decided to build the so-called “House of the Balconies.” This building, dating from 1589, is a unique example of Renaissance-inspired architecture and Mannerist, with Italian and Flemish influences. In 1716 began the renovation works of the church, delivered to the Viennese military engineer Manuel Pinto Vilalobos. Presents in its interior a great decorative richness and the taste of the time, either by carving in national style of Ambrose Coelho authored either by the beautiful coats tiled, painted by Policarpo de Oliveira Bernardes, or by the cool roof of authorship Manuel Gomes. It is undoubtedly one of the best examples of Baroque around the country. (Visits to the Church – 2nd to 5th Friday: 9.30-12.30 and 13.30 – 18.00, 6th show: 9h30 – 12h30 and 14h00 – 18h00, Saturday. 10h00 – 13h00 and Sunday: Mass at 12.00. Price of the visit to the church: 1 euro (A visit to the exhibition gallery is free). Guided Tours: Weekdays between 9:00 am and 12.00 and between 14.00 and 17.00, by appointment. Price of the guided tours: Church – 2 euros per person; Salas-museum – 2 EUR per person (maximum of 15 members per group).

Costume Museum (Century XX.)

Located in the historic city center, the old building Bank of Portugal, houses since 2004, the Costume Museum that makes known the ethnographic richness of traditional Viennese costumes. The exposed estate also comprises tools used for small-scale confection garments. Besides the permanent exhibition “The wool and linen in the Alto Minho costume” “Workshop and Gold Room”, the Costume Museum holds numerous temporary exhibitions on the theme of the costume and Viennese ethnography.

Old Hospital (century. XV/XVII)

Former inn for the reception of pilgrims to Santiago, founded by John Paes “old” in 1468 and restored in the sixteenth century. The facade is the result of the reconstruction of the sixteenth century, the manufactory clipping windows being visible and the inscription, transcribed from the original (since the Arabic numerals were not used in 1468), and the stone weapons and the niche on the port are already in the seventeenth century. Also sixteenth century is the inner courtyard, which is accessed through three very broad and slaughtered beveled edge arches.

House of Niches (century. XV)

Implanted midway through the Viana Street, Old Pier Street, you can admire the so – called “House of Niches” that although it has undergone major renovations, mainly at the level of doors and windows, also features two beautiful Gothic sculpture, topped by dosseletes representing the scene of the Annunciation.

See Viana – Mother Church (Century XV)

The Cathedral of Viana, although it has a massive structure to the taste of Romanesque architecture, it is undoubtedly a work influenced by gothic aesthetic, and its construction began in the fifteenth century dawn. The portal features a ogivado arc cut for three archivolts profusely decorated, which are supported by six sculptures representing as many Apostles (St. Peter, St. Paul, St. John, St. Bartholomew St. James and St. Andrew). This portal, both structural and thematic level denotes certain affinities with the Galician portals, particularly with the St. Martin de Noya church.

Casa dos Costa Barros (century. XVI)

manor house of the time of discovery which highlights the central window monumental Renaissance-inspired decorative motifs with “Manueline” and “Plateresque”. Built in the mid-sixteenth century is undoubtedly the most beautiful and imposing sixteenth window the city.

Viana statue (century. XVIII)

Erected in 1774 by the Count of Bobadela, Jose Antonio Freire de Andrade, the Minho province of Arms Governor is parallel to the temple-monument of Santa Luzia, one of the symbols of the city. The female figure of undulating robes, holding a caravel, in Rococo style, which dominates the whole set, symbolizes Viana and its seafaring vocation. The four busts that round off the corners of the pedestal, symbolizing the European, Asian, African and American continents, as an allusion to the “four corners of the world” and mareante tradition and the Viennese merchant.

Capela das Almas (century. XIII / XVIII)

Was the first Viana Matrix, to the construction of the present Cathedral in the walled perimeter in the mid-fifteenth century. Traditionally known for Old Mother, it came to be called Chapel of Souls because its churchyard was place of burial from the time of D. Afonso III to the late nineteenth century. The primitive structure of the XIII century, rebuilt and added to in 1719, a share of canon Domingos de Campos Soares, left an arch-throne on the south wall of the temple and the cross head, and the rest a typical building of small temples Baroque eighteenth century .

Eiffel Bridge (century. XIX)

Inaugurated on June 30, 1878, at the height of the iron architecture, at the risk and the calculations of the prestigious Eiffel House, the metal bridge over the river Lima came not only allow rail traffic, as also replace the old wooden bridge that connected the yard of St. Benedict in Viana left bank of the river Lima (Darque). With five hundred sixty-three meters long and six meters wide, it took more than two million kilos of iron for the construction of the trays which are based on nine pillars in granite stonework, whose foundations reach up to 22 meters.

Chapel of Malheiras (eighteenth century.)

The call Chapel of Malheiras (by reference to the owner ‘s family – the Malheiro Reimão) is one of the best examples of Portuguese rococo architecture, which was built by D. Antonio Desterro (Malheiro) at the time Bishop of Rio de Janeiro. Besides the elegant façade, for some authors work of Nicolau Nasoni or your school, this chapel presents a remarkable altarpiece in polychrome carving, according to Robert Smith one of the best Minho carved copies in rococo style.

House of Abreu Távora (“the Career Counts”) (century. XVI)

Built in the middle of the Palace sixteenth century the Abreu Távora, later called the Counts Career is one of the most beautiful houses in the town, which highlights windows and doors “Manueline”, to which the amendments and additions came later, more than preserve, enhance and value. It works in this building since 1972, the Municipality of Viana do Castelo.

Church of Charity/Convent of St. Anne (century. XVI / XX)

Of the former Convent of Santa Ana Church of Benedictine nuns, sent build by the local nobility with the support of the House, to house the daughters of the Viennese nobles who might not marry . The primitive convent of Gothic root, was the work of Galician Pero, a resident walks in, where the dawn of the sixteenth century led the second phase of works in the parish church. After some expansion work carried out in the early eighteenth century, it was between 1897 and 1905 that performed the major works to recast the convent building, resulting in a grandiose architectural complex that preserved the frontispiece of the eighteenth century style church “Joanine Baroque” and that reused the tower the magnificent spire manufactory.

 

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