Miguel Bombarda Museum

Category: Civil Architecture > Museum

District: Lisboa > Lisboa > Lisboa > Arroios

Location

The Miguel Bombarda Museum is located in the Arroios area, in the city of Lisbon, within what was once the historic Miguel Bombarda Hospital. This location, rich in meaning, is situated in a central urban area, easily identifiable between Campo de Santana and Rua Gomes Freire.

A Space with History and Unique Architecture

This museum occupies the facilities of what was Portugal's first psychiatric hospital, founded in 1848. Its built heritage is of great value, notably the Security Pavilion, constructed in 1896 by architect José Maria Nepomuceno. This circular building, with a panoptic design and an open-air central courtyard, is an example of avant-garde architecture, with its rounded edges on doors, windows, and benches, which anticipated modern design of subsequent decades. It is one of the few panoptic structures in the world with an uncovered courtyard.

Another notable element is the D. Maria II Bathhouse, dating from 1853, which was used for therapeutic baths in psychiatry and, in its time, was considered the best in Europe. The Main Building itself, which housed the hospital, dates back to the 18th century, being an old religious house, and includes a Noble Hall adorned with remarkable baroque tile panels. The museum also preserves the office where Professor Miguel Bombarda, a central figure of the republican revolution, was assassinated.

The Collections: Art and Memory

The museum's collection is unique in the Iberian Peninsula, bringing together collections that offer a singular perspective on the human mind and the history of psychiatry. Highlighted is the collection of Patient Art and Outsider Art, the oldest and most extensive in the country, with thousands of works. These creations, many from the early 20th century, demonstrate the profound sensitivity and creativity of their authors, including names such as Jaime Fernandes, Joaquim Demétrio, Valentim de Barros, and José Gomes. Professor Miguel Bombarda was a pioneer in creating one of the first collections of patient art in Europe, still in the 19th century, at this very hospital.

In addition to art, the museum has a vast photographic archive with thousands of items, including rare photographs of patients from the late 19th century to the 1930s, used for physiognomic study. This collection of images and other clinical and hospital materials, together with a clinical, administrative, and forensic archive dating back to 1848, constitutes a valuable testimony to the history of medicine and psychiatric care in Portugal.

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