Palace of São Cipriano

Category: Civil Architecture > Manor House / Stately Mansion

District: Braga > Guimarães > Tabuadelo e São Faustino

Location

Paço de São Cipriano is serenely located in the parish of Tabuadelo e São Faustino, in the municipality of Guimarães. Situated a short distance from the historic city, the manor benefits from a tranquil and isolated rural environment. The property is surrounded by a vast estate that includes orchards, vineyards, and pastures. The surroundings are marked by a luxuriant forest, where centennial trees and exotic species can be found, providing a setting of natural beauty and peace.

Centuries of History and Tradition

Dating back to the 15th century, Paço de São Cipriano is a living testament to the region's history, classified as a Property of Public Interest since 1977. Although its most remote origins may date back to ancient Roman villas, formal ownership of the property by the Sottomayor family has been documented since 1415. Over centuries, this was a house that prospered from agricultural and forestry revenues.

Interestingly, the tradition of welcoming visitors is ancestral: the Manor functioned as an inn for pilgrims heading to Santiago de Compostela, a practice that continued until the 19th century and is still evoked today by an inscription visible on its main gate: "Place and Gate of the Inn". More recently, this vocation for hospitality has been resumed, keeping alive the essence of a place with deep roots.

Architecture and Evolution

The architecture of Paço de São Cipriano reveals a harmonious fusion of styles, resulting from several construction campaigns between the 15th and 20th centuries. The built complex features a "U"-shaped plan, with an imposing central crenellated tower that rises as the main element, an enduring symbol of the prestige and antiquity of the owning family. In the 18th century, Domingos Gonçalves Cibrão led significant enlargements of the manor and rebuilt its Chapel of Santo António, a prominent landmark in Portuguese architecture, which served the local community with the Archbishop of Braga's license.

At the turn of the 19th to the 20th century, major works, attributed to the Venetian architect Nicola Bigaglia, shaped the current appearance of the manor. Bigaglia infused it with a romantic character featuring revivalist elements, particularly Neo-Manueline, evident in the windows with polylobed arches and the facade details. His intervention extended the side wings, giving the building its characteristic "U" shape and creating a welcoming atmosphere indoors.

The Formal Gardens and the Landscape

The gardens of Paço de São Cipriano are a distinctive element of the property, designed in a formal model, close to the French garden style. Walking along the long access avenue, one is led to a space of serene beauty, where geometric boxwood beds and hedges of camellias, lindens, and rose bushes intertwine around a flowing water pond. This environment invites contemplation and reflection.

Here, it is possible to discover nooks such as the `Casa de Fresco` (Cool House), ideal for moments of rest during warmer periods, and a baroque fountain with the figure of Neptune, adding a touch of classical mythology to the Minho setting. Beyond the formal garden, the estate extends into vast orchards and vegetable gardens, inviting tranquil walks through nature and enjoyment of the surrounding rural landscape.

Interior Ambiences and Cultural Heritage

Inside the Manor, the atmosphere transports visitors to other eras. The rooms, featuring crafted wooden ceilings with the family's coat of arms, preserve original furniture and damask-lined walls, adorned with portraits of ancestors that tell part of the family's history. The old kitchen, with its majestic granite fireplace, is a singular space that evokes daily life from bygone times.

The property also preserves a valuable cultural heritage, visible in a library, a haven for lovers of old books, and in a room that functions as a small museum, displaying curiosities and a collection of weapons. Each room reflects the wealth and memory accumulated over centuries, carefully preserved by its owners.

License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt