São Sebastião Aqueduct or Arches of the Garden

Category: Civil Architecture > Aqueduct

District: Coimbra > Coimbra > Coimbra > Alta

Location

, Located on Calçada Martim de Freitas, in front of the Botanical Garden of the University of Coimbra.

, Situated in the parish of Sé Nova, in the city of Coimbra.

History and Construction

, Built in 1570 during the reign of D. Sebastião.

, It was built to supply the upper part of the city of Coimbra.

, The layout takes advantage of an ancient Roman aqueduct.

, Designed by the Italian engineer Felipe Terzi.

Structure

, The structure is about one kilometer long.

, Composed of twenty arches, the first of which is known as the "arch of honor".

, The arch of honor is decorated with the shield of Portugal, baldaquin, Doric columns, dome and lantern.

, The niches of the arch of honor contain the images of São Sebastião and São Roque.

Curiosities

, Popularly known as "Arcos do Jardim" (Garden Arches) due to its proximity to the Botanical Garden.

, Classified as a National Monument since 1910.

, In one of the adjacent squares, there is a tribute to Pope John Paul II.

Cultural and Historical Aspects

, The aqueduct was originally longer, but it was partially demolished for the opening of new roads in the 1960s.

, The arch of honor contains inscriptions in Latin and Portuguese that detail its history and construction.

, Traces of polychromy were discovered during restoration works, suggesting a more colorful past.

Sources: https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aqueduto_de_São_Sebastião

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