Santa Rita Farmhouse

Category: Archaeology > Dolmen

District: Setúbal > Almada > Pragal > Casquilho

Location

The Casa da Quinta de Santa Rita is located in Pragal, municipality of Almada, in an area that today is integrated into the Casquilho urbanisation. Situated in a zone of great urban dynamism, its main facade directly faces a street with intense traffic. Looking north, it is still possible to perceive the former rural extension of the property, which once comprised vast agricultural lands, today partially transformed by modern communication routes.

An Eighteenth-Century Legacy

Dating from the mid-18th century, the Casa da Quinta de Santa Rita is a notable example of the rural and Rococo architecture of that period. Although once a single-family residence set within a large agricultural estate, what currently remains of the complex is, prominently, its tower. This element, which served to delineate the property and also as a "fresco house," offers a glimpse into the lifestyle and elegance of the period in which it was built.

Architectural and Artistic Details

The tower has a square plan, with a simple volume and a characteristic double roof, of the Mardelino type, topped by a pinnacle. Its two-storey facades are adorned with pilastered quoins of a rustic appearance and a continuous cornice. On the lower floor, a framed opening with a segmental arch lintel provides access to a tunnel that connected to the rest of the estate. On the upper floor, the balcony windows stand out, some with wrought-iron balconies, whose frames extend into stucco ornaments up to the cornice. These ornaments are particularly rich, featuring garlands, vegetal elements, and even the name of the former patron of the estate, revealing the aesthetic refinement of the Rococo style.

Vestiges of the Former Property

Despite the urban transformation of the surrounding area, the Casa da Quinta de Santa Rita still preserves some vestiges of its former function and dimension. In addition to the tower, which stands out in the landscape, a path once used for circulation within the estate still remains, leading to a tank and a well. These elements bear witness to the agricultural past of the property, evoking its self-sufficiency and the rural way of life that existed here before the city's expansion.

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