Sunday 20 January 2013

Cultural Heritage of Old Europe - discover in Portugal! Barocco style masterpieces.


Portugal developed unprecedented versions of Baroque style in the world of art – in the fields of azulejo tiles and carved gilded wood. Azulejo tiles – an extremely rich iconographic culture that runs alongside the tradition of great canvas painting – focused primarily on religious themes: the history of the lives of the Saints and cy cles dedicated to the Virgin Mary and the Life of Christ. The main profane themes focused on mythology and fables, in particular the fables of La Fontaine, explored in azulejo tiles such as those in the Church of S. Vicente de Fora, and also linked to programmes imposed by commissioners in the domestic space of their gardens and palaces.

Ornamentation and compositional formats, introduction of “gallant scenes”, “hunting scenes”, more or less stereotypical landscapes, sometimes exotic, originated autonomous motifs with countless variations such as the so-called “invitation figures” (figures de convite) - life-sized representations of people adopting gestures of etiquette, as they receive visitors, located at room entrances or staircase landings. This deceptive naturalism and apparent ingenuity, established azulejo work as one of the most characteristic Portuguese styles.


The reign of D. João V was marked by implementation of a utopia in the world of art, whose initial seeds had been sown in 17th century politics. This was the only explanation behind major ventures such as the Royal Convent of Mafra, one of the largest palatial and monastic buildings in Europe. The characteristic elements of Portuguese Baroque - carved gilded wood and ornamentation of churches with azulejo tiles – directly descended from this desire to create a “golden age”. It also derived from a very real access to gold, imported from Brazil.


During the 17th and 18th centuries, carved gilded wood transformed church interiors, which often had unique layouts, thus conferring them with luminosity and spatial energy. A classic example is the Library of the University of Coimbra, whose interior was transformed through the use of carved gilded wood. A wide array of altar-pieces were installed in all styles of Portuguese churches throughout the 17th century. Derived from mannerist altars and altar-pieces - stable, firm and of classic taste - the Portuguese style altar-piece ended up by replacing slower, heavier and expensive models, executed in stone by Italian Baroque sculptors.

However, the  Portuguese style should not be viewed as a poorer or imitative version of its predecessors. On the contrary, it included original motifs and was based on unique compositions. The splendour of the gilding, the greater or lesser depths of the hand carved ornamental motifs, constitute the backdrop for the key architectural elements: the arches and door-jambs – thick, repeated, staggered in depth; tribunes constituted by several steps, raising up to great height in a curious play of different scales and monumental display; the throne, upon which the statue of the patron saint was placed; Solomonic columns, decorated with vines and small angels.


In the same manner, the Enlightenment spirit fostered by the Marquis of Pombal during the reign of D. José (1750-1777), formed part of a broader Baroque strategy, especially if one considers his urban-planning proposals. 
The key impulse behind this avant-garde movement was the unprecedented catastrophe, whose impact was felt throughout the world – the brutal 1755 earthquake that devastated Lisbon. Some commentators viewed the Earthquake as a sign of the end of the world. For others, however, it was an opportunity to secularise a society that was atavistically entrenched in profound religiosity.

Discover this great world heritage and see it in real life in Portugal! 

by visitportugal 

Friday 18 January 2013

Great World Heritage in Portugal. Rome in Alentejo region.

The Roman period in the Alentejo began in the 2nd century BC and lasted until the fall of the Roman Empire in the 5th century. From these times, and from their influence on later periods, there remain many memories: mining and agricultural exploitation carried out on great estates crowned by luxurious and richly decorated houses (the Roman villas); ceramics industries, salt mines, fish-salting and shipbuilding; fortresses, temples, bridges, paved roads and pathways,
sanctuaries, theatres, dams, aqueducts; municipalities as the basis for the structure of local administration. And there remains with us, obviously, Latin as the mother tongue of the Portuguese.


The remains of this period can be visited in and from urban centres. Take a note and make these sites part of your itinerary.
On the Marvão – Alter do Chão – Monforte axis you should see the Civitas de Ammaia (S. Salvador de Aramenha, Marvão); the ponte (bridge) de Vila Formosa (road between Alter do Chão and Ponte de Sor); the villa at Torre de Palma (road between Monforte and Cabeço de Vide); and the Núcleo Museológico of the Igreja (church) da Madalena (Monforte).

In Évora, the Roman-Goth-Arab walls, the Roman temple, the Termas (baths) in the Paços do Concelho (Town Hall), the Arco (arch) de D. Isabel and the Casa de Burgos, all in the historical centre; outside the city, the Termas of the Roman Villa of Tourega (road from Évora to Alcaçovas). Between Alvito, Vidigueira, Cuba and Beja, the bridge at Vila Ruiva (road between Vila Ruiva and Albergaria dos Fusos) and the Roman villa of Cucufate and Casa do Arco (Vila de Frades).

In Beja, the Portas (gates) de Évora and de Avis the gigantic capitals next to the Regional Museum and the Núcleo Museológico Romano da Rua do Sembrano, where you will also find important vestiges of the Iron Age.

Between Beja, Castro Verde and Mértola, the Roman villa of Pisões (road from Beja to Aljustrel, next to Penedo Gordo); the Museu da Lucerna (museum of Roman lamps) (Castro Verde); and the Núcleo Museológico Romano (Mértola).

On the coast, the Estação Arqueológica de Miróbriga (Santiago do Cacém) and the Cripta (crypt) Arqueológica do Castelo (Alcácer do Sal), situated under the former Aracoeli convent.

from visitalentejo.com