Colombo House - Porto Santo Museum

Category: Civil Architecture > Museum

District: Madeira > Porto Santo > Vila Baleira > Matas

Location:

Casa Colombo, Porto Santo Museum is located in the town of Vila Baleira, within the area known as Matas. It is situated in the town center, in a quiet area easily accessible on foot, allowing for a visit integrated with the exploration of the surrounding historical and urban environment.

The House and Its History:

This museum occupies a building that, by tradition, is believed to have been the residence of Christopher Columbus during his time living in Porto Santo, after his marriage to Filipa Moniz Perestrelo, daughter of the island's first Captain-Donee, Bartolomeu Perestrelo. Although the current construction results from modifications throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, it incorporates older elements, such as a wall with Gothic arches that suggests a temporal connection to earlier periods. The space was adapted to house the museum, which opened its doors in 1989 and was later restructured and expanded, incorporating the neighboring "Baiana" building, an emblematic 17th-century construction.

The Discoveries and the Island's Position:

The museum dedicates a large part of its content to exploring the context of the Portuguese Discoveries and the strategic role that Porto Santo island and the Madeira archipelago played during that historical period. It is possible to learn more about the life of Christopher Columbus, his connection to the island and his voyages, as well as the importance of Portuguese and Spanish maritime explorations that opened new routes across the world in the 15th and 16th centuries. The museum seeks to offer a perspective on this vast movement of expansion and the encounter of cultures that resulted from it, highlighting Porto Santo's position at the origin of this odyssey.

Collections and Sea Relics:

In addition to the narrative of the Discoveries and the figure of Columbus, the museum displays collections that complement the understanding of maritime history and life at the time. A particular point of interest is the collection recovered from the shipwreck of the Dutch galleon "Slot Ter Hooge", which sank off the island in 1724. These pieces provide direct contact with objects and artifacts from that era. The collection also includes old maps and illustrations that help visualize the voyages and representations of Christopher Columbus throughout the centuries.

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