Bishop’s House

The Bishop’s House, or Casa do Bispo, is the building that currently houses the Presidency Services of the Polytechnic of Coimbra. An intervention carried out in recent years has allowed the restoration of a historic building, classified as Property of Public Interest, restoring dignity to a space formerly abandoned and bringing life back to its rooms and corridors. It also provided the Polytechnic of Coimbra with a space that serves as the institution’s “welcome card”, dignifying its members and the city of Coimbra itself.

   

   

 

Casa do Bispo is part of the architectural complex of Quinta do Bispo, located in São Martinho do Bispo, which also includes the Cellar, the Vinegar Room, the Hangar, the Apiary, the Sirgaria (rope factory) and the Bishop’s chalet. It’s an architectural complex with a historical past of great cultural interest for the entire community.

Over the years, the above-mentioned buildings have undergone various interventions that have altered their original characteristics, particularly in terms of interior spaces and exterior arrangements. The aim was to rehabilitate the existing structure, respecting the original characteristics of the buildings and all current regulatory standards, combining the past with a future with a more contemporary language, in regard to aesthetic solutions, construction techniques and materials used.

In a first phase, Casa do Bispo was renovated and its patios and the area surrounding the building were redesigned, and a parking lot was created. The work was completed at the end of October 2023 and this building is now fully operational, housing the Presidency Services, along with other centralized services, an auditorium with 36 seats and a meeting room.

In a second phase, the plan is to rehabilitate the Cellar and Vinegar Room buildings, construct a support building and three volumes, two of which are technical and one that will be used as a covered outdoor reception space for the two main buildings. A more in-depth intervention in the arrangement of outdoor spaces is also planned, namely the main entrance area with an arrival square, parking lot and staircase leading to the architectural complex, and the boulevard and its reflecting pools with the creation of a pedestrian path, taking advantage of the unique landscape of ESAC, where the architectural complex is located.

Restoration of the Bishop's House

Historical introduction

 

Quinta do Bispo, where the Coimbra Agriculture School of the Polytechnic of Coimbra is currently located, was, in 1888, the School of Agricultural Regents of Coimbra, which was built on land belonging to several owners, of which the central and main nucleus was made up of Quinta de S. Martinho or Quinta do Bispo, belonging to the Episcopate of Coimbra. Between the end of the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th century, it was used as a Country House by the bishops of Coimbra as a place of rest and retreat for the Bishop and also for the high clergy of Coimbra, which is why it is called Quinta do Bispo (Bishop’s Farm).

One of the important figures linked to the history of this place was D. Afonso Castelo Branco, prelate of the Bishopric of Coimbra from 1583 to 1615 and Doctor of Theology from the University of Coimbra. D. Afonso Castelo Branco was born in Santiago do Cacém in 1522 and died in the university city on May 12, 1615, and is buried in the Old Cathedral of Coimbra (Sé Velha). He was the illegitimate son of D. António de Castelo Branco, dean of the Royal Chapel, and grandson of the first counts of Vila Nova de Portimão. D. Afonso Castelo Branco was appointed Viceroy of Portugal by Philip II in 1603 and became a patron of the city of Coimbra, contributing to the reconstruction of the Episcopal Palace and the Convent of Saint Augustine (1593) and the rebuilding of the Jesuit Church (1598), now the New Cathedral (Sé Nova). He also founded the Convent of the Discalced Carmelites (1606), sponsored the construction of the choir and the restoration of the Monastery of Celas, and collaborated in civil works such as roads, hospitals and the Misericórdia de Coimbra. He is also said to be responsible for the construction of some of the facilities still existing at Quinta do Bispo.

The construction of Quinta do Bispo possibly dates back to the end of the 16th century, beginning of the 17th century, 1583-1615, making it older than the Jardim de Santa Cruz de Coimbra.

The bishops who succeeded him also took an interest in this country residence. The immediate successor to D. Afonso Castelo Branco was D. Afonso Furtado de Mendonça (bishop from 1615 to 1618), who is said to have prepared his entrance into Coimbra there. Another successor who left his mark on the history of this place was Bishop D. João Mendes Távora, prelate from 1638 to 1646, the probable date of the episcopal coat of arms that can still be seen today on the gate leading to the centre of the architectural complex of Casa do Bispo. This coat of arms was likely erased during the government of the Marquis of Pombal. By a sentence of January 12, 1759, his coat of arms was erased on the epitaph of his tomb because he belonged to the Távoras family.

 

 

Other prelates followed, and there are records that some dedicated time and left their mark on Quinta do Bispo: D. João de Melo, bishop from 1684 to 1704, D. Miguel da Anunciação, bishop from 1741 to 1779, D. Francisco de Lemos de Faria Pereira Coutinho, bishop from 1779 to 1822, among others.

In 1887, the Portuguese Government expropriated Quinta de S. Martinho from Mitra de Coimbra to build, together with other lands expropriated from private individuals, a School of Agriculture, the Central Practical School of Agriculture, the first predecessor of current ESAC-PUC. Since then, Casa do Bispo has served as accommodation for teachers, students and staff and its agricultural facilities have had various uses until their gradual abandonment.

 

The Bishop’s House

 

Having briefly summarized the history of Quinta do Bispo, let us now return to the intervention carried out on Casa do Bispo. This building dates back to the 17th century and its initial morphology revealed two structures that opened onto a patio, with a balcony of stone columns. Consisting of two floors, the house had a small, intimate cloister, from which most of the interior spaces could be accessed.

 

   

   

 

The intervention project recently carried out aimed to “clean” the building of elements that only distorted its character, providing a clear, harmonious and uniform reading of the entire complex, elegantly and functionally combining old and new, history and modernity.

In the outdoor areas, the intervention improved access from the school campus to the building complex, known as Alameda, as well as the construction of two parking lots and the definition of a more direct main entrance from the public road. Attention was paid to preserving the permeability of the soil, thus respecting the waterproofing index.

In the exterior area, there are two entrance axes to the main building. The Alameda-Brasão axis, which connects the Alameda (one of the road accesses), with its water tanks and well-defined tree line, with the creation of pedestrian paths to Casa do Bispo, crossing the large patio where the portico with its coat of arms can be seen. It once again assumes a central role, with the rehabilitation of its gate and the lowering of the public road, thus connecting it to the parking area created on adjoining land. There is also another axis, perpendicular to the first, which connects the main gate of the complex to the main entrance of the House and which is predominantly pedestrianized. The first axis has a more natural setting while the second is more architectural due to the crossing of its patios and buildings.

The layout of the interior spaces was defined based on the desire to concentrate all the Presidency Services in a single physical space, the programmatic functionality and easy access to all the facilities. The ground floor has more public spaces, such as the reception, the auditorium, the central cloister now transformed into an entrance and break room, the meeting room, the toilets, the pantry and the technical facilities. The first floor has offices, a support meeting room, toilets and support rooms.

The proposal was based on the building’s pre-existing features and physical characteristics, involving the demolition of interior divisions, resulting from the multiple occupations the building had undergone, the rehabilitation of the exterior cladding, preserving its structure and finish, and the replacement of the roof, with the application of an underlayer that allowed for better insulation of the building. Work was also carried out on the window frames, making them more thermally efficient, while preserving the existing stonework.

In general, the facades, the main stone masonry structure and all the original decorative elements, including the stonework of the openings, the interior cloister, the exterior staircases and some inscriptions of initialisms engraved by the masons, have been preserved. The changes mainly concern the interior divisions and the organisation of the space to accommodate the new functions.

 

 

   

 

One of the highlights of the Casa do Bispo project was the rehabilitation of its interior cloister, interpreted as a covered square connecting all the building’s facilities. Its natural light creates the feeling of being in an open space, a space for sharing and socializing, a “living room” for visitors and workers. Alongside the historic natural stone masonry, an oak floor was added, together with new structural elements painted white, such as metalwork, carpentry, stairs, walls and ceilings. This combines history, authenticity and contemporaneity.

The construction process has revealed evidence of the different adaptations and restructuring that the building has undergone over time, with three levels corresponding to interventions at different times. The first level corresponds to the initial construction of the building, between the end of the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th century. The second level presumably corresponds to the 18th century, 70 centimetres above the initial elevation, and the third level of intervention dates back to the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, 50 centimetres above the previous elevation. These different levels of intervention may be associated with the need to adapt to the conditions of the Quinta do Bispo land, which, given its proximity to the São Martinho stream, was subject to frequent flooding.

In the 1970s, the house underwent renovations that led to its mischaracterization. Especially inside, the old wooden ceilings and floors, stones and columns from the old cloister disappeared. Also during this period, the old tiles depicting 18th century buildings and landscapes that covered the walls up to a height of about one metre were removed.

 

 

 

 

On January 31, 1964, in an official letter from the National Monuments Services Section of the Ministry of Public Works, regarding the creation of new facilities for the School of Agricultural Regents and the possible demolition of the Casa do Bispo building, the existence of tiled panels was highlighted as a reason for interest and it was suggested that they be removed to a national museum.

Most of these tiles were stored and catalogued and are undergoing gradual intervention, in an admittedly meticulous and slow process of reconstructing the previously existing panels. The aim is to be able, in the future, to reconstruct these panels, frame them and place them on display in Casa do Bispo in a prominent place, thus restoring their importance and dignity.

 

 

 

 

Designing the future

 

The future of the Quinta do Bispo heritage complex and its remaining elements is being prepared, with interventions planned to rehabilitate the buildings and provide new features to the Polytechnic of Coimbra.

A large ceremony hall is planned for the Cellar building and a space for exhibitions and event support is planned for the Vinegar room building. The Cellar and the Vinegar room will be connected by a covered exterior structure, which will be given a contemporary aesthetic.

Due to the need to internally connect Casa do Bispo to the Cellar building, with its ceremony hall, and to the Vinegar room building, with its exhibition spaces, a structure has already been created that allows the vertical connection between all floors. This new element, with a contemporary style, seeks to discreetly integrate the existing buildings, through stairs that “snake” along the different floors.

 

 

Sources:

Reconversão de edifícios para sede da Presidência do Politécnico de Coimbra SC|IPC, Projeto de Arquitetura, outubro de 2019, Politécnico de Coimbra;

Relatório Prévio Quinta do Bispo, Versão 1.0, 06 de janeiro de 2021., DGPI | Departamento de Gestão do Património e Infraestruturas do IPC.