FASCINATING FOR ITS HISTORY, AUTHENTIC FOR ITS CHARM

The São Silvestre Palace was the place where the Hieronymite monastery of São Marcos [St. Marcus] was established, founded in 1451 in a deserted place at the gates of Coimbra, being developed at a village called São Silvestre.

THE HISTORY

It was in this parish that, in the first quarter of the 18th century, the Cabral de Moura e Horta family built the Quinta do Paço, today known as the São Silvestre Palace; With a privileged location in Largo do Terreiro, in the centre of the parish of São Silvestre, the Palace is an imposing baroque dwelling, built in the 18th century; In 1730 the heir Francisco Cabral de Moura e Horta married Antónia Pereira Coutinho de Vilhena, and from this union resulted the shield that can be found on the main façade. The Palace holds an unrivalled coat of arms of the Cabrais, Mouras, Coutinhos and Vilhenas (Gonçalves; Correia: 1947).There is also a private chapel on the main floor, which at the time had a magnificent baroque carved altar and an altarpiece in polychrome limestone, by João de Ruão, dating from 1544, with a representation of the Virgin Mary and Child, seated on a high-backed chair, surrounded by musical angels; It should also be mentioned that the stone altarpiece and the low reliefs originally integrated in the chapel of the palace were executed in the first half of the 16th century, about 150 years before the construction of the house. Its origin is unknown, that is, it is not known if the ensemble integrated a chapel that existed previously in that location or if they were acquired by the Cabral de Moura family after the construction of the manor house. But, unfortunately, the house would suffer several works and transformations in the following centuries, reaching the end of the 20th century ruined in the interior space, however fortunately it was recovered, allowing everyone to discover this wonderful space…

“Fascinating for its history, authentic for its charm”