Barbosa Maciel House

Category: Civil Architecture > Palace

District: Viana do Castelo > Viana do Castelo > Viana do Castelo > Santa Maria Maior e Monserrate

Location

Situated in the picturesque city of Viana do Castelo, the Casa dos Barbosa Maciel is located in the parish of Santa Maria Maior e Monserrate. The building stands in the urban landscape, flanked by other dwellings, forming a characteristic street front. Its location is close to the historic Largo de São Domingos, on a street that runs parallel to the Lima River and perpendicular to the bustling Avenida dos Combatentes da Grande Guerra, integrating harmoniously into the city's fabric.

An Eighteenth-Century Legacy

The Casa dos Barbosa Maciel is a remarkable example of 18th-century noble architecture in Viana do Castelo. Its construction, begun around 1720, was intended to be a noble residence, initially designed for António Felgueiras de Lima. The project was influenced by the military engineer Manuel Pinto de Vila Lobos, a name that marked the architecture of the era with its classical lines. Later, the house passed into the possession of the Teixeira Barbosa Maciel family, who carried out significant improvements and left their mark, visible in the coat of arms adorning the main facade.

Architectural Elegance

The imposing nature of Casa dos Barbosa Maciel is revealed in its Mannerist architecture, with a rectangular plan that extends longitudinally. The main facade, of immaculate white, is organized into two distinct floors, separated by a cornice. Noteworthy are the ashlar pilasters that define its volumes and the elegant openings. On the noble floor, the balcony windows, resting on corbels and topped by triangular pediments, confer a harmonious visual rhythm. An eye-catching element is the main portal, whose symmetry is accentuated by a cornice and the imposing coat of arms of the Teixeira Barbosa Maciel family. The 19th-century alteration, which replaced the roof eaves with a parapet adorned with balusters and figures of Trojan heroes, added an interesting layer to its visual history.

The Treasures of Baroque Tiles

Upon exploring the interiors of Casa dos Barbosa Maciel, one discovers one of its greatest treasures: the baroque tile panels that adorn the walls of the noble floor's rooms. Each set of panels tells a story, with different themes: in one of the rooms, one can observe allegorical scenes representing the four continents, Europe, America, Africa, and Asia. In another, the pleasures of palatial life are recreated, with representations of concerts, banquets, and garden settings. There are also spaces where the panels depict lively hunting scenes of deer and, in particular, wild boar. The house's chapel also deserves special attention, being richly adorned with tiles depicting biblical passages, some of them signed by the master Policarpo de Oliveira Bernardes, and a gilded and polychrome carved altarpiece.

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