After exploring the Sanatorium of Mont'Alto, located in Valongo, Cris Gonzalez and I, set out for the north of the country, this time in search of a beautiful place completely lost in the middle of a hill, in Viana de Castelo:
- the Convent of S. Francisco do Monte, a medieval religious building of Gothic, Mannerist and Baroque style.
"Convent of S. Francisco do Monte, Santa Maria Maior
This building used to belong to the Order of Frades Menores, but was abandoned because it is difficult to access. The Convent of S. Francisco do Monte (or what remains of it) is located on the Santa Luzia hill in Viana do Castelo. It is described by the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage as :"religious, gothic, mannerist and baroque architecture." It´s a Franciscan convent of the Capuchin's of medieval construction, that was remodeled in the 16th and 18th centuries, which significantly altered its structure. "
This convent has been abandoned due to the fact that it is situated in an extremely isolated place and due to the social and political changes in the region, the country and the world. In nowadays, it is only a huddle of ruins in an advanced state of degradation, since it is clear that the place was ravaged by inclement weather and forest fires (in fact, we had to climb over a fallen tree to get to the place).
This building was acquired by the Polytechnic Institute of Viana do Castelo in 2001, in order to install some services of the University, but nothing was done and the structure continued to deteriorate, which is deeply regrettable, because not only the location is wonderful, but also the construction should be preserved, given its uniqueness obtained by the mixture of styles. Meanwhile, this place is for all of us, at least for the curious / brave ones who dare to cross the hill to get there.
It is relatively easy to find, but access to the ruins is more complicated due to the state of the forest after the fires and storms (there are many fallen trees, lots of vegetation that hinders the route).
The place is magical, extremely peaceful and the landscape is intoxicating, but at the same time, it is sad to realize that this space was swallowed by time and forgotten by the city of Viana do Castelo.
This was another one of our incredible adventures, an immediate encounter with a building that possesses a timeless beauty, the contact with nature that brought upon nostalgia of other times, in which the buildings were constructed in a way that gave them a very peculiar character and personality.
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