National Museum Frei Manuel do Cenáculo

Category: Civil Architecture > Museum

District: Évora > Évora > Évora > São Mamede, Sé, São Pedro e Santo Antão

Location

The Frei Manuel do Cenáculo National Museum is located in the heart of the city of Évora, a locality recognized for its world heritage. It is situated in one of the city's highest and most historic areas, within the perimeter of the ancient Roman-medieval walls. Its central position offers a setting that reflects the historical richness and cultural density of the Alentejo region.

A Building with an Illustrious Past

The museum occupies the premises of the former Archbishops' Palace, a building dating from the late 16th and early 17th centuries. This construction stands out for its robustness and sobriety, with a quadrangular plan that develops around an inner cloister. Its façades, marked by decorative simplicity and the use of granite ashlar in the quoins and window frames, are an example of the plain architecture characteristic of the era, lending the space an atmosphere of historical grandeur.

The Origin of a National Collection

The genesis of the museum is intimately linked to the figure of Frei Manuel do Cenáculo Vilas Boas, an influential 18th-century personality, a notable intellectual, art collector, and pioneer of archaeology in Portugal. The initial collections, gathered by this archbishop, were later enriched with valuable artistic assets from extinct religious houses and private donations. Although officially established in 1915, the recognition of its value culminated in 2017 when it was elevated to the category of National Museum.

The Diverse Facets of the Collection

The museum's vast collection, comprising thousands of pieces, offers a journey through art and history, covering diverse areas. The exhibitions are organized into sections that include Archaeology, Architecture, Sculpture, Epigraphy, Heraldry, Goldsmithing, Decorative Arts, and, particularly notably, Painting. Each area reveals a distinct chapter of Portuguese and regional cultural and artistic heritage.

Collection Highlights

Among the most significant pieces, the painting collection stands out, allowing one to follow the evolution of Portuguese art from the 15th to the 20th century, with works by artists such as Álvaro Pires de Évora and Gregório Lopes. The museum also houses an imposing 16th-century Flemish altarpiece, considered one of the most important collections of Flemish painting in Portugal. In the field of sculpture, architectural elements from Évora monuments and important examples of funerary art stand out, with works attributed to figures such as Nicolau de Chanterene. The archaeology collections also deserve attention, including findings from megalithic dolmens and vestiges from Islamic and Paleo-Christian periods.

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