Palácio dos Marqueses de Abrantes

Gazing at the Palacio dos Marqueses de Abrantes, imagine its rectangular form. It’s a composition of articulated rectangular bodies surrounding an L-shaped courtyard. The Palacio dos Marqueses de Abrantes boasts a staggered volume, covered by three and four-pitched roofs. The walls are painted plaster, accented by stone quoins. Stone friezes separate the floors. The openings have straight lintels with simple stone frames and flags. The main facade faces northeast, overlooking the courtyard. It comprises two sections with three and two floors respectively. The first section aligns with the top of the structure along the public road. Its ground floor features a raised door, accessed by a straight flight of stairs, flanked by a low window. Above, on the first floor, two balcony windows display rectangular flags and metal balustrades, adorned with rings and finials. A low window marks the third floor, topped by a cornice and parapet. The second section, to the northwest, has a ground floor with three embedded round arches. The central arch serves as the main entrance, the others framing low windows. The main floor showcases balcony windows aligned with those below, mirroring their morphology. A cornice and eave crown this wall. Pilasters punctuate the southeast lateral facade. Its ground floor and third floor have low windows, contrasting with the first floor’s balcony windows, identical to those on the main facade. Inside the Palacio dos Marqueses de Abrantes, the main entrance leads to a rectangular vestibule with a flat wooden ceiling. From here, a monumental stone staircase with a metal balustrade ascends to the main floor. It then opens directly onto the interior courtyard, graced by round arches supported by smooth columns. Some original diamond-point tiles and blue monochrome tiles with acanthus leaves, typical of Portuguese Baroque production, remain. These are found on a baseboard and in a first-floor corridor leading to the rear facade. The Palacio dos Marqueses de Abrantes is nestled in an urban setting, attached to the southwest, with its lateral southeast facade and rear facade facing a road and railway line respectively. It’s linked to a rectangular courtyard enclosed by a wall to the southeast. The northeast and northwest sides face urban fronts, where the Sociedade Musical 3 de Agosto de 1885 is located.