Viana do Castelo – Monuments to visit pt.2
Municipal Theater Sá de Miranda (century. XIX)
Theater “Italian” of the late nineteenth century, the background of the architect João Marques Sardinha. It is a sober building with some neoclassical elements, which highlights the vaulted ceiling with a beautiful fresco painting of John the Baptist Rio authoring. It also has the original curtain, designed by set designer Italian Manini and executed by Hercole Lambertini. This theater is undoubtedly the main cultural center of the city.
House of Melo Alvim (century. XVI)
Built in the early sixteenth century, is considered the oldest solar city. Still boasts windows and niches in the Manueline style, with some additions already visible from the late sixteenth century. Inside are noticeable elements of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, including the monumental granite staircase. It was the target of a worthy restoration work in the 90s for the installation of an Inn.
Municipal Museum/Palace of the Barbosa Maciel (century. XVIII)
Housed in a distinctive manor house of the eighteenth century, the Municipal Museum of Viana do Castelo has one of the most important and valuable collections of old Portuguese faience of the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries, including several pieces the famous Viana China Factory. In addition to an important collection of paintings, drawings and sacred pieces of art, there is a beautiful collection of Indo-Portuguese furniture of the eighteenth century. In this space, you can still find a collection of Portuguese and Hispano-Moorish tiles, unique in its variety and richness.
Church of Santo Domingo (century. XVI)
The Church of St. Dominic, which subsists of the former convent of Santa Cruz founded by the Dominican Friar Bartholomew of the Martyrs, the Holy Archbishop recently beatified by Pope John Paul II, known for its participation in the Council of Trent, is a sixteenth-century temple , built between 1566 and 1576, at risk of the Dominican Friar Julian Romero, the same as already traced the church of S. Gonçalo de Amarante. Inside you can admire are several altars of beautiful golden carving, highlighting the great altarpiece of the north arm of the transept, in “Fat carving”, carved by Braga master José Alvarez de Araujo, from the design commissioned by the Confraternity of the Rosary, in 1760, the master André Soares and received the prestigious specialist Robert Smith the classification of “masterpiece of rocaille style throughout Europe.”
Basilica of Santa Luzia (century. XX)
The Sacred Temple Heart of Jesus built in the western spur of the Santa Luzia mountain from which dominates and “blesses” the city of Viana do Castelo, is undoubtedly one of the best known monuments and most emblematic of the country. It is an excellent example of revivalist architecture congregating in a monumental way but harmonious elements neorromânicos, neobizantinos and neo-Gothic, written by one of the architects of the largest national and international projection at the time, the high-minhoto architect Miguel Ventura Terra (1866 – 1919), author, for example, remodeling the São Bento Palace, the current Parliament. Although the project dates back to 1898, the work was only started in the early years of the twentieth century and was open to the cult temple in August 22, 1926, already after the death of its author, and only completed in 1943,
Church of Our Lady of Agony (century. XVIII)
The current building of the Church of Nossa Senhora d’Agonia dates from the mid eighteenth century and is the result of the reconstruction of an old terminal Chapel of the Cross. In this copy of the final Baroque, where it is possible to detect some influences of the Portuguese-Brazilian Baroque, the highlights are the altarpieces of altars decorated in “Fat carving”, with special emphasis on the cenotaph of the Passion designed by André Soares. The tower, dating from 1868, was built shifted from building the body, not to prevent the traditional lap of pilgrimage around the church.
Strong or Castelo de São Tiago da Barra (century. XV-XVII)
It is thought that will date from the reign of D. Afonso III, the first fortification placed on bar Mouth of the river Lima, although the earliest safe date is already the century XV, when there was built a fortress, which had already been completed during the reign of King Manuel I, as suggested by some Manueline architectural elements, namely the so – called “Tower of Roqueta”, located in the southwest bastion of the current strength. In the late sixteenth century, the fortress has undergone successive improvement works, having been under Spanish domination during the reign of Philip II (Philip I of Portugal), which was built the current polygonal fortress from Filippo authored one of the project Terzi, the most famous designer of military buildings of that time.
Fortress of Areosa (century. XVII XVIII)
This interesting example of seventeenth-century military architecture, was built to sustain possible Spanish attacks during the wars of the Restoration (1640-1668). It was part of a defensive line strategically placed on the banks of the Minho River and along the Atlantic Coast, achieved through the refurbishment of old fortifications, cases of Valencia Castles, Vila Nova de Cerveira and Santiago da Barra (V. Castle), or the building of new forts, such as Lobelhe (Vila Nova de Cerveira), Insua (Walk) and Paco (Carreço), among others. Some of these forts played an important role not only in the War of Restoration, as well as during the Napoleonic invasions, having sometimes been reactivated its strategic military function in liberal struggles of the nineteenth century.
Citânia de Santa Luzia (town castrejo Romanized)
The Citânia Santa Luzia, known locally as “Old Town” is one of the most popular Castros of northern Portugal and arguably one of the most important for the study of Proto-history and the Alto Minho Romanization. Its strategic location, allowing you to not only dominate large areas of riverside coastal zone, but also and in particular, control the movement of inputs and outputs at the mouth of the Rio Lima, which in classical antiquity would be navigable for much of its course. The town has its own characteristics, especially in terms of architectural structures, especially the polygonal system, used in some of the houses, which have a circular plan with a foyer or lobby, which in some cases housed ovens to bake bread.
Hospital Ship Gil Eannes
The hospital ship Gil Eannes, built in Viana do Castelo, in 1955, supported for decades, the Portuguese cod fishing fleet which operated on the banks of the New Earth and Greenland. The conversion project turned it into Museum Center and Youth hostel, providing its visitors an unforgettable experience. Today, it is assumed as attraction pole for Viana do Castelo, having received, from the opening to the public in 1998, about 400,000 visitors.
Municipal Library (century. XXI)
The new Municipal Library of Viana do Castelo, architect authoring Siza Vieira, is located between the Lima River and the historic city center.
The building occupies a total area of 3,130 m2 and is developed on two floors, with the ground-floor installation of technical services, labor offices and reserved query, storage area, multipurpose room, bar, a concierge desk , storage and toilet facilities. The upper floor has a large reading room and a children’s section, workrooms and multimedia, more restricted areas for reading and artistic expression workshops. This floor has also reception lobby, concierge desk and reprographics.
Natural light floods the various areas, especially reading.
