Vila Meã Estate (Mitra Estate)

Category: Civil Architecture > Farm

District: Porto > Porto > Porto > Lameira

Location

Quinta de Vila Meã, also known as Quinta da Mitra, is located in the Lameira area, in the parish of Campanhã, Porto. Its location is a testament to the city's urban transformation, currently found in an area profoundly shaped by the construction of the Via de Cintura Interna (VCI). The Quinta, or what remains of it, is in surroundings that once combined rural characteristics with the region's growing industrialization, and today reflects the city's urban dynamics.

Past and Original Structure

With a history dating back to ancient periods of Porto, Quinta de Vila Meã consisted of a manor house and a chapel, typical elements of rural properties of the era. Aerial photographs from the early 20th century show the original extent of the quinta, integrated into the Campanhã landscape. Also prominent was a fountain, a piece of art and engineering that, over time, was relocated to the gardens of the Palácio de Cristal, where it can still be observed today, a tangible link between the quinta and other emblematic spaces of the city.

A Site in Recomposition

Currently, Quinta de Vila Meã is in ruins, a consequence of urban interventions and the passage of time. However, this place is not forgotten. There are efforts by a group of people who seek to cultivate the land and, as much as possible, carry out some restorations on the house. This initiative gives the quinta new life, transforming it into a space of community intervention and connection to the land, despite its state of conservation and its peculiar location beneath an important road.

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