Quinta do Esteiro Furado or Quinta dos Ingleses

Category: Civil Architecture > Farm

District: Setúbal > Moita > Moita > Rosário

Location

Located in the Rosário urbanization, in the municipality of Moita, this estate enjoys a position that was once strategic, next to the Tagus River estuary. Its proximity to the riverfront shaped its identity and functions throughout the centuries, allowing for a direct connection to waterways.

A Name with History

Known by two distinct names, "Quinta do Esteiro Furado" and "Quinta dos Ingleses," each designation offers clues about its past. The name "Esteiro Furado" refers to its particular geographical location next to an estuarine arm of water. The designation "Quinta dos Ingleses" suggests a possible connection to British owners or influences during a certain period, although its first known owner in the 17th century was a Flemish merchant, Geraldo de Huygens.

Heritage and Past Functions

The estate stands out for its architecture, particularly what remains of its main palace and the old hermitage. Built between 1629 and 1630, the hermitage was a central element of the property, initially dedicated to the Holy Trinity and Saint Gerald. Later, after restoration works in 1799, it became known as the Holy Trinity and Our Lady of Good Voyage. A notable detail was the tiles that lined the chapel, with an inscription dating back to 1657.

Beyond habitation and worship, the estate was a center for diverse economic activities, including agriculture with vineyards, orchards, and various crops, livestock farming, salt extraction in salt pans, and even fish farms. Its importance extended to its capacity to supply water to merchant ships sailing on the Tagus, utilizing a private pier. There were also structures such as a greenhouse and a chalet, which punctuated the property's landscape, as well as a vast pine forest that still partially remains today.

Local Memories and Legends

Over the centuries, Quinta do Esteiro Furado has accumulated stories and anecdotes that enrich its legacy. The hermitage, for instance, underwent phases of desecration, even being used as a firewood storage, which illustrates the different transformations in the use of the space. The place is also linked to tales of fortunes gained and lost in games of chance, and even a supposed legend of a double homicide that occurred in the 16th century, a story that endures in local memory and adds a veil of mystery to its atmosphere.

Among the people of Rosário, the estate is affectionately known by the name "Estifrado," a curious popular adaptation of "Esteiro Furado." Its atmosphere, even in its current state of ruin, is described as fascinating and melancholic, inviting reflection on the passage of time and the lives that passed through it.

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