This is my very first entry for the #Haveyoubeenhere community, and I'm very glad about that...
I hope I don't "mess up" with the #pinmmaple pinpoint 😅📍... If I did, please forgive me, there is always the opportunity of correcting that on next post.
Today, I went to a place, that I thing very few persons visited since it was build... And the fact for that, it's because it is the former Church and Cartuxa Convent located in Caxias.
Two weeks ago, I received in my postbox 📬 an invitation for my County to visit the "Carthusian Villa" before the rehabilitation process initiates. On 17th of February, there was an official deal, that formalized the ownership translation to the Oeiras County.
Since I didn't had "nothing better" planned for this Saturday, I subscribe the invitation that I received, and I didn't regret anything about it.
Living couple of kilometres away from this unique place, I never pictured such a particular place like the one that you are going to meet through my humble mobile phone lens.
The entry is as sumptuous as you could imagine to be from a Villa from the XVI century.
And as soon as you pass the entrance, the Church, welcomes you. With an Joanine facade, that was kept in the rebuild project, that was on charge of Carlos Mandel. (still not fully known to our acknowledge). This was mostly due to the consequent changes in Clerical portuguese societies. The nationalization of the property of male monastic orders effected by a decree of 28 May 1834 enacted by Joaquim António de Aguiar at the conclusion of the Portuguese Civil War, terminated the State sanction of masculine religious orders, and nationalized the lands and possessions of over 500 monasteries.
Mrs. Simoa Godinha, an noble African Lady, born in São Tomé, descendant of Portugueses, donated his entire fortune to Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa. She expressed her will to fund a Covent for nuns or friars.
The detail of the Saint Maria Vallis de Misericordis (patron of the congregation)
The church rebuild in the highest place, took place of the former one, dated from 1736, that came down in the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, also known as the Great Lisbon earthquake, at 1st of November, Feast of All Saints. The earthquake almost totally destroyed Lisbon and adjoining areas. Seismologists today estimate the Lisbon earthquake had a magnitude of at least 8.4
Regular Sunday services occour in this church every Sunday morning
As you pass by the sacristy, you reach the Small Cloister. This small piece of "Heaven" , has it was seen back then, was were the monks spend time in silence, studing, and contemplating nature little miracles.
Behind the Church, the Large Cloister, has the Chartusian rule demands, different from all orders, its constituted by 17 perfect round bows... This part of the Villa was a former juvenile detention institution, when back in the 1970's was apportioned with public school in the day for the small children, and in the night, craft workshops for teaching the juvenile offenders that were institucionalized
On this Monday, the rehabilitation will start with the dismantling of this old pre-built structures
The next part of this Saturday tour, toke us to a place where the old cells were, that were used as warehouses for art workshops.
Found some order notes, from 1976 and 1977, on the floor...
And the caos of this "deconstruction"... brought new art, to a place that somehow NO ONE wasn't expecting to see it! 😅
The tour ended sooner then I wanted, but the full hour that I spent seemed to pass in a hurry...
...time to take a selfie.
I'm not a entusiast of "selfies", but this time I thought it could be a good ideia, because my next visit to this place would be very different from now!
...exiting trought the magistral door
...and one last photo from this unique self-hugging old tree 🌳
In Portugal it's very comon to see the street toponymy made with tiles like this ones
Thank you for your attention. I hope that you liked my first entry for the #haveyoubeenhere community 😊
It's being a great experience for me to try to capture as better as I can, the magic instants that surrounds me, on my photos! 📷
Stay safe, stay healthy!
See you soon