Palace of the former Counts of Basto or Paço de São Miguel da Freiria or Palace of the Pátio de São Miguel

Category: Civil Architecture > Palace

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

Location

- Situated in the Pátio de São Miguel, in the parish of Sé e São Pedro, in Évora.

History

- Building of Muslim origin, it was part of the old alcáçova of Évora.

- Classified as a National Monument since 1922.

- After the Christian conquest, it passed to the Order of Avis and was later incorporated into the Portuguese crown.

- Residence of D. Fernando, with important works carried out.

- Granted to D. Nuno Álvares Pereira after the dynastic crisis of 1383–1385.

- Later donated to D. Diogo de Castro, from whom D. Fernando de Castro, the 1st Count of Basto, descends.

- Received visits from monarchs such as D. João II, D. Manuel, D. João III, and D. Sebastião.

- Expropriated by D. João IV due to its connection to the Castilian crown, it had various functions and owners, including the Eugénio de Almeida Foundation.

Architecture

- Monumental composition with articulated volumes, succession of patios and dependencies.

- Main facade with Renaissance loggia over Gothic arcade, and ribbed vault.

- Presence of Gothic structures, 16th-century stonework, paired horseshoe arch windows, Renaissance galleries and colonnades.

- Italian influence evident in elements such as cylindrical turrets and the garden fountain.

Interior Decoration

- Three rooms with vaults painted in fresco by master Francisco de Campos, dated 1578.

- Paintings of mythological and Italianate inspiration, with figures, flowers, fruits, triumphal allegories, and compositions based on Ovid's Metamorphoses.

- Profane theme, highlighting the erudition and sensuality of the time, with emphasis on the celebration of the conquest of Tunis in 1535.