Bemposta Palace

Coordinates: 38°43′24.58″N 9°8′17.46″W / 38.7234944°N 9.1381833°W / 38.7234944; -9.1381833
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Palace of Bemposta
Palácio da Bemposta
Pena
CountryPortugal
Coordinates38°43′24.58″N 9°8′17.46″W / 38.7234944°N 9.1381833°W / 38.7234944; -9.1381833
Openedc. 1693
OwnerPortuguese Republic
Technical details
MaterialMarble
Design and construction
Architect(s)João Antunes

The Bemposta Palace (Palácio da Bemposta), also known as the Paço da Rainha (Queen’s Palace), is a neoclassical palace in the area of Bemposta, now the civil parish of

Portuguese Military Academy
.

History

Queen Catherine of Braganza, widow of King Charles II of England, ordered Bemposta Palace be built.

Eight years after the death of Charles II of England (in 1685), who left no legitimate son as heir to the throne, Queen Catherine of Braganza, daughter of John IV, returned to Portugal in 1693.[1][2] Without a home in Lisbon, she resided in the homes of various noblemen for a time, including the Count of Redondo in Santa Maria or the palace of the Count of Aveiras, in Belém.[2] She decided to purchase from Francisca Pereira Teles, the noble homes and land in Bemposta area in the centre of Lisbon, in order to build her residence.[2] A chapel dating back to 1501 existed there and she requested the architect, João Antunes (1642–1712), to incorporate a chapel in the site plan under the invocation of Nossa Senhora da Conceição (Our Lady of the Conception).[2][3] The project began in 1694, with Antunes coming on board in 1702, and by 1702 the Queen had already begun to live in the palace.[3] The building was a mixed construction: limestone and marble was used in many of the flourishes, but the structure was built of reinforced steel, wood and masonry.[3]

Catherine died here on 31 December 1705, leaving in her will the Palace of Bemposta to her brother, King Peter II of Portugal,[2][3] who in 1668 had become regent on behalf of his mentally unstable elder brother Afonso VI of Portugal and king in 1683. On 29 October 1706 a royal chapel was constructed.[3]

In 1707, King

Infante Francis, Duke of Beja, King John V's brother and Lord of the Infantado, and his son João da Bemposta, named so for having resided in the palace.[3]

After the

Palace of Queluz by 1778.[3]

The palace too began to be abandoned, as the royals move to other preferred lodgings: by 1798 the palace was already abandoned and falling into ruins.[3]

Military Academy
(right).
The palace chapel, designed by José Troni and Thomas F. Hickey.

In 1803, the Prince-Regent, (

future King John VI) lived at Bemposta.[1][3]
Even after the return of the royal family, in 1821, John returned to Bemposta, and with the intent of making the residence more habitable, began various renovations in 1822, 1824 and 1825, principally in the rooms behind the chapel and on the floor near the gardens. At Bemposta the politics of King John VI's reign played-out: including the events of the insurrections known as the Vila-Francada and Abrilada, and his eventual death (he died in his personal quarters, on 10 March 1826).

In 1828,

King Miguel began holding weekly audiences in the palace.[3]

The designation as Casa do Infantado was removed in 1833, and the palace is incorporated into the Crown's property. Until 18 March 1834, a formal political administration occupied the Bemposta Palace, but it was vacated and returned to Crown estates under Queen

Bernardo de Sá Nogueira de Figueiredo, 1st Marquess of Sá da Bandeira, the building was expanded and interior remodelled. In 1853, the chapel, until this time a private hermitage, began to be open to the faith community. With changes in the urban planning in Lisbon, the area in front of the palace became reduced, and traffic along the avenue resulted in the shortening of the main outside staircase in 1860 (with the widening of the road).[3]

In 1944, there was a complete restoration of the chapel, followed in 1997 by a renovation of the electrical and fire prevention systems in order to meet safety standards.[3]

On 13 September 1999, an analysis of the architectural state was begun by the Direcção-Geral dos Edifícios e Monumentos Nacionais (DGEMN) (General-Directorate for Buildings and National Monuments). The palace pertains to the Portuguese

Military Academy, and the coat-of-arms of Queen Catherine are still visible above the principal doors of the building.[3][5]

In 2001, a monument to Queen Catherine was installed in front of the buildings façade.[3]

Architecture

The east wing of the palace.
The palace clock tower.

The Palace of Bemposta is located in the Largo do Paço da Rainha on the eastern border of

Anjos. The principal building, used by the military academy, fronts the Largo (square) across from the clock-tower and Mitelo Palace, in proximity of the Quartel do Cabeço da Bola, Jardim do Campo Mártires da Pátria (Garden of Campo Mártires da Pátria) and Miguel Bombarda Hospital.[3]

The front façade includes two staircases that ribbon towards the main floor and veranda with

plinth.[3] In the chapel's atrium there are two niches with statutes of Elizabeth of Portugal and John the Baptist (begun by José de Almeida and completed by Barros Laborão).[2][3]

Chapel

In the main chapel, there is a figure of the patron saint by the painter José Troni, with pictures of the royal family in the foreground (including

Brazilwood.[3]

References

Notes
  1. ^ a b Isley (1853), p.197
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Oliveira, Catarina (16 October 2007). IGESPAR (ed.). "Capela do Paço da Bemposta" (in Portuguese). Lisbon, Portugal. Archived from the original on 27 November 2011. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Vale, Teresa; Gomes, Carlos (2008) [2004]. Grilo, Júlio (ed.). "Paço e capela da Bemposta" (in Portuguese). Lisbon, Portugal: SIPA – Sistema de Informação para o Património Arquitectónico. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011.
  4. ^ Mauricio Dottori (2008), p.72
  5. ^ The Military Academy was originally installed in the Palácio dos Condes de Murça (Palace of the Counts of Murça), along Rua de Santo António dos Capuchos.
Sources
  • Rev. Dr. Isley (1853). The Lisbon Guide, or an Historical and Descriptive View of the City of Lisbon and its Environs (2nd ed.). António Joaquim de Paula.
  • Dottori, Mauricio (2008). The Church Music of Davide Perez and Niccolò Jommelli. Curitiba: DeArtes-UFPR.
    ISBN 978-85-98826-19-6
    .
  • Abreu, João Manuel P. de A. (1943), Notícia Histórica da Capela da Bemposta (in Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Almeida, Fernando de (1975), Monumentos e Edifícios Notáveis do Distrito de Lisboa (in Portuguese), vol. 2, Lisbon, Portugal{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Araújo, Norberto de (1946), Inventário de Lisboa (in Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Leal, Augusto S.; Pinho, A. B. (1890) [1873], Portugal Antigo e Moderno (in Portuguese), vol. 2, Lisbon, Portugal{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Moita, Luis (October 1947), "A Bemposta (O Paço da Rainha)", Olisipo (in Portuguese), Ano X (40)
  • Moita, Luis (October 1951), "A Bemposta (O Paço da Rainha)", Olisipo (in Portuguese), Ano XIV (56)
  • Moita, Luis (January 1952), "A Bemposta (O Paço da Rainha)", Olisipo (in Portuguese), Ano XV (57)
  • Moita, Luis (September 1952), "A Bemposta (O Paço da Rainha)", Olisipo (in Portuguese), Ano XV (60)
  • Moita, Luis (January 1953), "A Bemposta (O Paço da Rainha)", Olisipo (in Portuguese), Ano XV (61)
  • Moita, Luis (October 1953), "A Bemposta (O Paço da Rainha)", Olisipo (in Portuguese), Ano XVI (64)
  • Moita, Luis (January 1954), "A Bemposta (O Paço da Rainha)", Olisipo (in Portuguese), Ano XVII (65)
  • Pedreirinho, José Manuel (1994), Dicionário de arquitectos activos em Portugal do Séc. I à actualidade (in Portuguese), Porto, Portugal: Edições Afrontamento
  • Sena, Camilo (1922), A Escola Militar de Lisboa (in Portuguese), Lisbon, Portugal{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Valença, Manuel (1990), A Arte Organística em Portugal (in Portuguese), vol. 1, Braga, Portugal{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Viterbo, Sousa (1904), Diccionario Historico e Documental dos Architectos, Engenheiros e Construtores Portuguezes ou a serviço de Portugal (in Portuguese), vol. 1, Lisbon, Portugal: Imprensa Nacional
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