Galvão Manor

Category: Civil Architecture > Manor House

District: Viana do Castelo > Melgaço > Melgaço > Galvão

Location

- Solar de Galvão is located in the parish of Vila e Roussas, in Melgaço, in the district of Viana do Castelo, Portugal.

- It is the first manor house built outside the walls of the town of Melgaço, dating from the 17th century.

History and Architecture

- Built in the 17th century, this Minho manor house is located at the main entrance to the town of Melgaço, just 700 meters from the city center, and is known to be a welcoming place for visitors.

- The main building has a T shape and an architectural style reminiscent of a castle or military structure, with battlements decorating the eaves. Its walls are made of ashlar stone and coated with hydraulic lime.

- The main facade features a coat of arms of the family that commissioned the construction of the manor house, the family of Magno Pereira de Castro, from Fornelos and Melgaço.

- The manor house has two floors, the lower one used as a cellar and warehouse, and the upper one as a residential area, including three noble rooms, a bedroom, a bathroom, and a kitchen.

Property and Chapel

- On the grounds of the manor house, in addition to the main house, there are a fountain and a caretaker's house. A chapel dedicated to Santo António is present on the site, being the patron saint of the Castro de Melgaço family.

- The facade of the chapel displays another coat of arms carved in stonework, representing the four lineages of Souzas, Castros, Lobatos, and Soares de Tangil.

- The surrounding area of the property was used for growing vines.