House of Stones

Category: Civil Architecture > House

District: Lisboa > Cascais > Carcavelos e Parede > Avencas

Location

Situated in the Avencas area, on the transition between Carcavelos and Parede, Casa das Pedras stands prominently on the coastline. Positioned at the summit of a natural elevation, about twenty-three meters above sea level, the villa offers an unobstructed view of the Atlantic, marking the landscape with its unique silhouette. Its location allows it to visually dominate the entrance to the Lisbon Bar, presenting itself as a distinctive element near the Parede cliffs.

An Architecture of Stone and Fantasy

What most distinguishes Casa das Pedras is its unusual and fascinating construction. Completed in 1904, the villa was built entirely with large stones and small pebbles. These materials, collected from nearby beaches and visibly marked by marine erosion, clad the building in its entirety. The uniqueness extends to the lintels of the windows and doors, the columns of the balconies, the porches, the decorative battlements, and even the chimneys, all sculpted from the same stone. This choice gave it a robust aesthetic and, at the same time, an air of a medieval castle, with its pseudo-battlements and a rounded body that evokes a fortress imagery.

The Legacy of Romanticism

Casa das Pedras is a remarkable example of late Romanticism summer architecture in Portugal. It was commissioned by Commander Manuel de Azevedo Gomes to the Italian architect Nicola Bigaglia, an influential figure in Portuguese architecture at the turn of the 19th to the 20th century. The owner, with a very particular vision, demanded the almost exclusive use of stone, a choice that echoes the landscapes of his native island, Pico, with its characteristic dry stone walls, the "moledos". This detail gave the property its original name, Quinta do Moledo. Recognizing its value, the building was classified as a Monument of Public Interest in 2016. The house, with its dark tone and the grandeur of its four floors, evokes a certain mystery, aligning with the artistic and symbolic sensibilities of the Romantic period.

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