Almada Negreiros Lisbon Itinerary | Igreja de Fátima

The Church of Our Lady of the Rosary of Fatima (usually known as Igreja de Fátima) is located in Avenidas Novas district in Lisbon, the modernist neighborhood of the city developed in the first half of the 20th century. This is also one of my favorite churches in the city (along with Lisbon Cathedral) and one that is particularly dear to me.

The church was commissioned in 1933 to the architect Porfírio Pardal Monteiro and is a remarkable work of Portuguese modernism, with the particularity of being the first Catholic temple to be built in Lisbon after the implantation of the Republic (1910).

The building's exterior, where straight lines and pure forms prevail is composed by a large volume, forming the main nave, covered with a flat roof terrace, which articulates with the lower volumes of the two side aisles, and also with the baptistery and the unique and asymmetrical tower on the façade. The traces of art deco are patented in the asymmetry and fragmentation of volumes and in the way they are ornamented.

Like many other works of Pardal Monteiro, the building had the artistic collaboration of Almada Negreiros (stained glass) and of other Portuguese sculptors and artists. The works of Almada Negreiros in the Baptistery are particularly impressive, and the stained glass behind the alter is absolutely breathtaking. Although this church is a little off the beaten path, its beauty and artistic value totally recommend its visit.

Almada Negreiros's works in this church include the stained glass of the "Holy Trinity" in the Choir,  the stained glass, mosaics and doors of the Baptistery, the stained glass "Calvary" and "Our Lady of Mercy" in the Chapel of Our Lady of Mercy, the stained glass "Our Lady of Carmo" and "Queen of Christians" in the Chapel of Our Lady of Carmo, and the stained glass and Eucharistic symbols of the canopy of the Apse. In the Apse, the four frescoes of the "Evangelists", were also painted by Almada Negreiros.



Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Rosário de Fátima
Av. de Berna 26,
1050-053 Lisboa

The Wine Chronicles | Palácio da Bacalhôa (Azeitão, Portugal)

The Quinta da Bacalhôa estate and its iconic palace are situated in Azeitão (Setúbal's Peninsula Wine Region), less than an hour South from Lisbon. This wine tourism site can be visited and if you are an history and art lover, combining all of this with a wine tasting can make the perfect day trip from the Portuguese capital.

The estate, dating from the 15th century was once property of the Portuguese royal family. In the 16th century, the estate was sold to the eldest son of Dom Afonso de Albuquerque, Vice-Roy of the Portuguese India.

The new proprietor introduced several improvements on the buildings, including the embellishment with tiles. Over the centuries, the architecture, the interior decoration of the buildings and the design of the gardens of the Palace have been influenced by its owners, who drew inspiration from their travels across Europe, Africa and the Orient to transform the property in one of the artistic treasures of Portugal.

After returning to the Portuguese royal family in the beginning of the 20th century, in 1936 the Bacalhôa Palace was bought and restored by Orlena Scoville, a North American citizen. In the 70's her grandson transformed the estate into one of the largest producers of wine in Portugal. Currently, the Bacalhôa estate belongs to the Berardo Foundation, and houses part of the private art collection of the Berardo family.

A guided visit to the estate will lead you trough the palace,  having the opportunity to take a look at the various pieces of art (including amazing tiled panels) in exhibition on the public part of the palace. The visit includes a walk in the gardens and to the pool house, that usually in the Renaissance and 18th century Portugal used to be named Casa de Fresco (house of freshness).

One of the big attractions of the visit is the amazing tiles collection, including both originals from the palace and items from the private collection.

One of the emblematic wines of the estate is the homonymous Palácio da Bacalhôa, a special wine that its only produced when the perfect conditions are gathered in that year, depending on a small production of a specific variety (Petit Verdot). Its a special wine for special occasions and one you may want to take home.

The visit to the palace is complemented with a wine tasting and with a visit to the winery of the estate that doubles as museum, housing 3 interesting exhibitions, and that will be subject of a future article. The visits should be schedule ahead, using the phone number or email address mentioned bellow.


Quinta and Palácio da Bacalhôa
Phone:+351 212 198 067
Email: visitas@bacalhoa.pt
GPS: 38°31'25.62"N |  9° 1'0.47"W



Opening Hours and Ticket Prices:

Monday to Saturday: 10am to 6pm

Guided Tours: 10:30 am | 11:30 am | 2:30 pm | 3:30 pm | 4:30 pm

Duration of guided tour with wine tasting: 60 minutes

Quinta and Palácio da Bacalhôa €4,00

Almada Negreiros Lisbon Itinerary | Alcântara's Cruise Terminal

In the late 30's of the 20th century the large passengers ships were still the preferred way to travel between the continents and even between some European countries. Lisbon needed bigger and more modern ship terminals and the decision is taken to built three large maritime terminals in the right margin of river Tagus. The first at Alcântara, the second at Rocha do Conde de Óbidos and a firth one, whose construction was cancelled, at Cais do Sodré.

The two ship terminals, designed by the Portuguese architect Porfirio Pardal Monteiro constitute good examples of modernist architecture and enclosed inside some of what have already been called Alameda Negreiro's master pieces. Both terminals have in their visitors rooms the most magnificent sets of murals, depicting scenes of Portuguese history, tradition and everyday life, created by de imagination and hand of Almada Negreiros.

The terminal  at Alcântara presents two triptychs and two individual murals, result of fresco mural painting technic and surely reflecting some of the influences that the artist had while living and working in Paris. The richness of colors and shades, the firmness and almost geometric rigor of the trace express already some of the characteristics of the artist's future work.

The first triptych (picture above) displays the sentence: "Here comes the Nau Catrineta, which has much to tell" and is dedicated to the famous legend on Portuguese oral tradition that every children learns at an early age about a ship lost in the sea that finally find its way back to sore. 

The second triptych named "Who has never seen Lisbon never saw a good thing" (1st photo on the article), is dedicated to the city, the Tagus and its boats, the working women and their labors. 

The first individual mural is named "D. Fuas Roupinho, 1st Admiral of the Tagus fleet "and represents the famous Portuguese legend of Nazaré beach. The other mural, "Oh land where I was born", is an allegory to rural Portugal with its festivities.

The scale of the murals is impressive and is even more amazing to think that after a year and a half of preparation the eight frescoes were completed in just two months, while the artist had only one assistant who mixed the paints. Almada Negreiros executed the huge frescoes balanced on wooden scaffolding, completing small parts of the painting before the wall dried.

The room is magnificent with its marble floor and walls, and the immense glass windows granting a clear view of the river and the left bank, bridge and Cristo Rei included, on one side, and of Lisbon on the other side.

In my visit to Alcântara's Cruise Terminal I was guest to Fundação Caloust Gulbenkian and had the privilege to be guided by the curator of Almada Negreiros exhibition - A Way of Being Modern. You can also visited the works of Almada Negreiros, making an appointment beforehand (at least 2 working days). The visits are held from Monday to Friday, starting at 10:30 a.m. or 2:30 p.m., free of charges. The visits are preferably scheduled for groups (minimum 10 people) and individual requests can be joined to other groups already scheduled. For more information you must contact:

Divisão de Desenvolvimento e Relações Institucionais do Porto de Lisboa
Phone: +351 21 361 10 25
Mloureiro@portodelisboa.pt