Localised almost in the very heart of the city of Funchal, and taking up around 1 hectare, Quinta das Cruzes – Residential Villa, Chapel and gardened park – represents a qualified urban unit whose image corresponds to a specific way of life on the Island of Madeira which, even today can still be seen.
The memories of this Quinta are connected with the life and history of the city of Funchal.
The first documental references relating to the residential unit of Cruzes date back to the 16th century. However, the original building dates back to the end of the 15th century/beginning of the 16th century, identified as the Houses of João Gonçalves Zarco and his descendants, and the last residence of the 1st donee captain of Funchal.
The first information about the Estate are contained in the codicil of the will of the 2nd donee captain, João Gonçalves da Câmara, dated from 1501, where it is also determined that “Pedro Gonçalves da Câmara should keep the houses where I live with all their contents”. In this original building, until a short time ago there were still two doors of Manueline influence in grey ashlar from the region (traquibasalt) which provided access to that which had previously been the House cellars and that, owing to an intervention which took place at the beginning of the 1950’s, were adapted and duplicated in windows.
The House remained in the possession of the Câmara family throughout the 16th century, as is borne out in 1575 with the sale of the residence by Pedro Gonçalves da Câmara to Francisco Gonçalves da Câmara.
However, in the 1st quarter of the 17th century, owing to the death of the then owner João Gonçalves, who left no heirs, the Quinta das Cruzes was inherited by his brother António do Carvalhal Esmeraldo who took possession thereof in 1624, with the Quinta falling into the hands of the entail of the Lomelino family in 1678. The presence of this family is demonstrated by the coat-of-arms placed on the ceiling of the porch entrance.
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Coat-of-arms of the
Lomelino Family.
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In the late 17th century Quinta das Cruzes underwent its first major transformations. The construction of the arcade in red stone from the Region (
lapill tuft and
breccia tuft) alongside the façade dates back to this time, as well as the construction (dating back to 1692 according to the inscription on the portico) and subsequent institution (1695) of the Chapel of
Nossa Senhora da Piedade (Our Lady of Pity), erected by Francisco Esmeraldo Correia Henriques and located at the Southern end of the gardened space. Also attributed to this owner is the ordering of the painted retable alluding to
The Lamentation over the Dead Christ (c. 1700) by Bento Coelho da Silveira (1620-1708) which can be found in the aforementioned chapel.
In the 18th century new works were carried out which is probably not unrelated to the marriage of António Correia Henriques Lomelino and Lady Guiomar Jacinta de Moura Acciaiuoli who started living at
Cruzes in the late 1718; or the violent earthquake which hit the Island of Madeira in 1748 and caused serious damages to the building.
The predominant body of the main building, characteristic of 18th century island construction, dates back to the middle of said century.
The 19th century saw the playing out of the dispute which began in 1836, protagonised by the then owner of the
Quinta,
Nuno de Freitas Lomelino, the last entail of the Cruzes and patron of the Convent of
Nossa Senhora da Piedade in Santa Cruz and who requested the property of said Convent which he had lost with the Extinction of the Religious Orders in 1834. Only in 1852 would the situation be resolved, with the ruins of the Convent becoming the property of the Entail who transferred part of the estate to Quinta das Cruzes.
However, shortly afterwards in 1863 the
Quinta was sold to Tristão Teixeira de Bettencourt e Câmara, Baron of Jardim do Mar.
Concurrently, the porched space was built, overlaying the arcade of the main façade, the two
Casinhas de prazer (Summer houses)
and a whole new concept of the gardened space (as we know it today) in accordance with the romantic ideals in vogue.
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Municipal Band-stand |
In the transition from the 19th century to the 20th century, Quinta das Cruzes was used for various activities and purposes. The building was used as the headquarters of
Club Madeira, as a residence and a medical surgery, later it was turned into a Hotel and also served as the headquarters of the Municipal Band of Funchal, cinema, school, a port of refuge for Gibraltarian refugees and ended up as an embroidery factory of the company Fortunato Eleutério Miguéis, the last private owner of this space.
Finally, the Quinta das Cruzes was acquired in 1948 for the future creation of a Museum of Decorative Arts, combining the initiatives of its first donor – César Filipe Gomes and of the official bodies,
Junta Geral do Distrito Autónomo do Funchal (General Council of Funchal).
The architectonic dignity and functionality of its spaces made a decisive impact on and facilitated the development of its latest vocational definition as a Museum.
Quinta das Cruzes has undergone successive alterations during the course of its over 500 years of existence which turned it into one of the most prestigious “Madeiran Estates”. These housing units characterised by their structure consisting of a villa, chapel,
casinhas de prazer and gardened park as well as their setting in the amphitheatre of Funchal have made these constructions one of the characteristic aspects of the Madeiran landscape, the reflection of a complex network of social and economic influences which predominated in Madeira.
At present the main villa can be divided up into three storeys: ground floor (original wineries and cellar), first storey (main floor) and the
Tower (regarded as a third storey).
In its interior the
House looks like a residential villa, an example of the island manor houses, characteristic of the 18th/19th century.
The Quinta das Cruzes was classified as a Property in the Public Interest under Decree 36.383 dated 28 /06 /1947.
The building is inventoried in the data base of the Direcção-Geral dos Edifícios e Monumentos Nacionais (Directorate-general for National Monuments and Buildings) under no.IPA PT062203080020 (www.monumentos.pt).