Lamego Museum

Category: Civil Architecture > Museum

District: Viseu > Lamego > Lamego > Almacave

Location

The Lamego Museum is located in the heart of the city, in the historic area of Almacave. It is housed in the former Episcopal Palace, a notable building near the Cathedral. Its urban location is flat and defined by walls and garden areas, adjacent to one of the stations of the Via Sacra.

The Historic Building

Housed in a building with history, the museum occupies what was once the residence of the bishops of Lamego. The Episcopal Palace, in its current form, mainly results from a reconstruction that occurred in the second half of the 18th century. It features characteristics of the provincial Baroque style, with an ornamented main façade and other more sober ones. Inside, one discovers a structure organized around a central courtyard and spaces adapted for museological functions.

A Diverse Collection

The Lamego Museum houses a rich and varied collection that reflects centuries of history and art. The initial collection, originating from the Episcopal Palace itself, already included important pieces of furniture, tapestry, sculpture, and painting. Over time, it was enriched with goldsmithery, religious vestments, archaeological finds, ceramics, tiles, engravings, and drawings, spanning a period from the 1st century to more recent times, with a special focus on the 18th century and the Renaissance.

Works of Special Relevance

Among the many pieces on display, some stand out for their unique artistic and historical value. Visitors will find five panels painted by Vasco Fernandes, Grão Vasco, in the early 16th century. These works, originally created for the Lamego Cathedral, represent biblical moments such as the Creation of Animals or the Annunciation. Equally notable are the 16th-century Flemish tapestries, woven in Brussels, which include pieces from the Oedipus series, "Music," and "The Temple of Latona." The museum also holds an unusual medieval sarcophagus decorated with a hunting scene in low-relief and beautiful 17th-century tile panels with depictions of hunting and bucolic scenes.

Reassembly of Chapels

One of the museum's particularities is the presence of complete chapels, originally part of the extinct Convent of Chagas de Lamego. These chapels were carefully reassembled inside the museum building. They feature altarpieces and gilded woodcarving decorations, offering an example of the expressiveness of Portuguese Baroque and its rich artistic and iconographic value.

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