Marquise of Alorna

Category: Nature > Garden

District: Lisboa > Oeiras > Oeiras > Espargal

Location

The monument dedicated to the Marchioness of Alorna is located in the municipality of Oeiras, in the Espargal area. It is situated within the Parque dos Poetas (Poets' Park), a vast urban green space that offers a calm environment ideal for strolls. The park's position, at specific points, allows visitors to enjoy extensive views over the Tagus River estuary and the Atlantic Ocean, enriching the experience for those who visit this place.

A Figure of Remarkable Erudition

The Marchioness of Alorna, christened D. Leonor de Almeida Portugal Lorena e Lencastre, was one of the most remarkable figures in Portuguese culture of the 18th and 19th centuries. She distinguished herself as a poetess, translator, and pedagogue, recognized for her vast erudition and a lively and singular spirit. Her life was deeply marked by an eighteen-year period of seclusion in the Convent of Chelas, along with her mother and sister, following alleged family connections to the assassination attempt on King D. José. During this long period, under the cultivated guidance of her father through correspondence, she dedicated herself intensely to the study of languages such as Latin, French, and Italian, as well as Philosophy, History, and Natural Sciences, shaping her remarkable literary and humanist personality. The Marchioness is also known by her poetic pseudonym, Alcipe, and for her epistolary work, which reveals her perspicacity and her role in disseminating new European ideas in Portugal.

The Sculptural Homage

In the Parque dos Poetas, the memory of the Marchioness of Alorna is perpetuated through a sculptural work by Clara Menéres. This art piece presents a singular and meditative form, described as a hieratic and introspective image. Its composition is distinctive, characterized by a vertical fissure that runs through the structure, suggesting an opening in its apparent hermeticism and inviting personal interpretation from the observer. Menéres' sculpture constitutes a significant tribute to this esteemed figure of Portuguese poetry and culture, integrating into the park's landscape as a point of contemplation on the valuable legacy of the great luminaries of national literature.

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