These images stand as historical references, since the Convent of Nossa Senhora do Espinheiro (Our Lady of the Thorn) has recently (in the beginnings of our century) been recovered and turned into a luxury hotel, in the outskirts of Évora - Portugal.

«Remarkable building founded in the 15th century and invaluable pantheon of the Alentejo's nobility, it was begun in the year of 1458, integrated in the order of St. Jerome [...].»
Translated from Túlio Espanca, Évora - Arte e História (Art and History). 1980.

The complex of the former convent includes two National Monuments - the Church of Nossa Senhora do Espinheiro (Our Lady of the Thorn) and the Chapel tomb of Garcia de Resende.

On the left, the main entrance to the church - behind the iron gate, «the marble classic portal, on the axis, from 1566, above which stand the images of the Virgin of the Thorn, S. Jerome and St. John Baptist.»
Idem, ibidem.

On the right, the Chapel tomb - «The funeral monument, typical example of Manueline-mudejar art, consists of three separate bodies: porch, nave and chancel, in a rectangular miniaturized plan.»
Idem, ibidem.

NOTE: According to Wikipedia - In modern usage, «convent» almost invariably refers to a community of women, as opposed to the «monastery», for men; but in historical usage they are often interchangeable.
The Convent of Nossa Senhora do Espinheiro was actually for monks. See also Santa Maria de Celas Monastery, which was for nuns.

[Originally posted on Mar 31st, 2008]

Category: THE HERITAGE

BEFORE THE CONVENT WAS TURNED INTO A LUXURY HOTEL, its cloister had Magnolias (Magnolia grandiflora - I think that there were two of them). Lush and admirable trees, that probably had been there for centuries.

Surroundings of Évora - Portugal.

«In the extinct convent, the Gothic-Manueline cloister is to be noticed, with four corridors and two granite buttressed floors, marble columns with naturalist capitals, twin arcades, rib vaults and royal locks, armillary spheres and crosses of Christ. It was built by masters of stonemasonry João Álvares and Álvaro Anes (1520-22).»
Translated from Túlio Espanca, Évora - Arte e História (Art and History). 1980.

[Originally posted on Mar 30th, 2008]

Category: THE HERITAGE

(Azulejo - from the arabian al Zulaicj, that later became aljulej - small flat and polished stone).

The use of ceramic tiles in Portuguese architecture dates back to the 15th and 16th centuries, after the moorish presence and influence on the Iberian Peninsula.

An «important characteristic of the repetition patterns is the way in which the compositions are organized, always showing (with more or less subtlety) diagonals opposing to vertical and horizontal lines, main elements in architecture.»
Rafael Salinas Calado, 5 Séculos do Azulejo em Portugal - 5 Centuries of the Tile in Portugal, 1985.

«The tile is essencially an element that brightens the surface, reflecting light, heat and sound. [...]
It cannot - mostly - be appreciated peace by peace, because it is conceived to be seen as a whole definitely integrated in the architecture [...].»
(idem, ibidem).

NOTE: This post should have a link to the Azulejo National Museum web site, which is at the moment being renewed and therefore unavailable.

[Originally posted on Mar 1st, 2008]

Category: THE HERITAGE

Some aspects of Santa Maria de Celas' cloister, Coimbra - Portugal.

A Cistercian feminin Monastery from 1210, National Monument (Monumento Nacional) decreed on June 6th 1910 (by that time Portugal was a Monarchy!). It is nowadays still one of the most important examples of Portuguese Medieval Art and Architecture.

[Originally posted on Feb 21st, 2008]

Category: THE HERITAGE

- of uncertain origin (Roman? Medieval?), the bridge crosses the Arade River, has five arches (were there six of them originally?) and is built in stone fitted masonry - the typical reddish Silves' sandstone. The piers are protected by cutwaters (pointed elements on the pier-bases, to cut the wave chock and to ease the water flow) which enhance the bridge's image of stability and robustness.

The two Plane trees (Platanus sp) on the left side of the picture are actually on the right edge of the river - a good example of how trees can help defining a landscape.

[originally posted on Feb 2nd, 2008]

Category: THE HERITAGE

in the Historical Centre of Toledo, Castilla-La Mancha, Spain.

"The idea of creating an international movement for protecting heritage emerged after World War I. [...] The event that aroused particular international concern was the decision to build the Aswan High Dam in Egypt, which would have flooded the valley containing the Abu Simbel temples, a treasure of ancient Egyptian civilization. [...] Consequently, UNESCO initiated, with the help of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), the preparation of a draft convention on the protection of cultural heritage. [...]
The Convention concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage was adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO on 16 November 1972."
(From the UNESCO World Heritage Website - The World Heritage Convention/Brief History)

[originally posted on Jan 20th, 2008]

Category: THE HERITAGE

(The original portuguese post starts with an excerpt from a Fernando Pessoa's poem, that unfortunately I cannot translate).

A Portuguese Navy effective vessel since April 1998 (after complete restoration for the Lisbon Expo'98), the Frigate is considered the World eighth oldest war ship and belongs to the Navy Museum (Museu de Marinha in Lisbon).
These pictures were taken when it was docked at Alcântara on the Tagus River - Lisbon, Portugal - before its masts were locked down, for... (security? protection?) reasons.
Nowadays, and since December 2007, the frigate is docked at Cacilhas, also on the Tagus River - Almada - to be restored and equipped/prepared to become a floating museum.

LET'S APPLAUD THE ALMADA MUNICIPALITY (Câmara Municipal de Almada)!

[originally posted on Jan 5th, 2008]

Category: THE HERITAGE

... HAS BEEN STOLEN FROM HERE:

(Gardens of the Estói Palace, nearby Faro - Algarve, Portugal. The construction is from the eighteenth century, with later alterations. Historical Heritage defined as Public Interest Building under the law (Decreto) nº 129/77, September 27th. This definition includes palace, gardens, fountains and statues.)

Other statues and pieces of ceramic tiles (Azulejos) have recently been broken and taken away... Does anybody know where they are? Where they've gone to? - Please contact the national or local authorities!

[originally posted on Jan 3rd, 2008]

Category: THE HERITAGE