Architecture Of Cape Verde

The Architecture of Cape Verde has different architectural styles in the nation. Unlike the African mainland, Cape Verde was uninhabited until 1461 when the Portuguese arrived, most of the other islands were first inhabited after the end of the 15th century. Its architecture was introduced in the 1460s and has its first origins from Portuguese settlers from the Madeira Islands, after the first arrival of mainland Africans, a bit of African architecture would be elements mainly in rural areas. The Manueline was its first architectural style on the island, it was later followed by Renaissance, Baroque, Pombaline (late-Baroque and Neoclassical), Early Modern and Modern. It was one of the last in the whole of Africa to introduce architecture late. Cape Verde has one of the richest architecture in the western portion of West Africa, the sub-Saharan portion, the richest probably being Mali.

After independence, modern architecture along with African continued to be influenced in newer buildings and is now the dominant influence on its buildings in the nation today, in its newer resorts particularly in Sal features a mixture of Spanish, African, probably Mexican and Moorish elements of architecture including the Garupa and the Funana hotels, both owned by RIU. Also Aristides Pereira International Airport has a mixture of African, Capeverdean and Arabic-Moorish architecture.

The nation also has several buildings and homes with a resemblance of Portuguese and mainland African architectural origins.

Architectural styles

Its main architectural styles includes funco, dominant on the islands of Fogo, Santiago and Maio, loja, used for bars and sobrado, a house style particularly founded in the city of São Filipe in Fogo. In the Colonial times, the funco style were mainly used for blacks, the loja style were once used for the mixed people and the sobrado style were for the white people used before independence.

Colonial architecture

The first 500 years would have mainly Portuguese elements in its architecture and continued until the independence of Cape Verde in 1975.

Manueline architecture

When the city of Ribeira Grande (now Cidade Velha would be featured in its buildings. Some of its styles survived in some buildings in São Filipe. The town's pillory (not a building) is one example, the other was Nossa Senhora do Rosário church, the world's first colonial church and the Sé Cathedral. After the Cassard expedition of 1712, all of its buildings were destroyed. Its ruins remain on a few. By the 20th century, there were rebuilt in different locations and these buildings are part of UNESCO's World Heritage Site since 2009.

Renaissance and Mannerist architecture

Most of Cidade Velha's 500 buildings until the destruction of the French featured Renaissance and Mannerist architecture, it included the churches of São Roque, São Pedro, Monte Alverne, Nossa Senhora da Conceição, the chapel of Santa Luzia, and the church and hospital of Santa Casa de Misericórdia.

Fort Real de São Filipe built on Achada de São Filipe sobre Ribeira Grande, a fort built in 1585 to protect from further attacks from corsairs after the damages during the raid by Sir Francis Drake, it was restored in 1968 and in 1999. Minimal architectural changes occurred with the Habsburg Philippine Dynasty in the Portuguese Empire which included Cape Verde for sixty years.

Restoration and Early Baroque architecture

Fortim Carlota in São Filipe, Fogo are one of the buildings, a fortress featuring Restoration era architecture. The Convent of Saint Francis (São Francisco) in Cidade Velha was built in the mid-16th century, it was destroyed by the French in 1712 during a raid and has been restored.

Pombaline architecture

Late Baroque architecture

Ribeira Grande has examples of late 18th century architecture in the center of the city.

As the colonial capital of Praia was moved in 1770, some architectural buildings were added including the warehouses and the port office, late Baroque Pombaline architecture appeared in Praia, almost all of these would be demolished by around the late 19th century and were replaced by neoclassical buildings. Only the warehouse survives today which is in Praia da Gamboa.

Other examples is São Filipe's Our Lady of Conception church ( ''Nossa Senhora da Conceição'') which was built in a comparatively simple style at the end of the 19th century.Susanne Lipps: ''Kapverdische Inseln'', p. 253-254. Ostfildern 2009. Opposite the church there are several well-preserved colonial houses dating from the 18th century. Another one was the Pedra de Lume saltworks built in the early 20th century and its residential complexes.

Neoclassical architecture

Neoclassical architecture dominated the building styles from 1822 up to the start of the 20th century, its most prominent were in Praia, the Platô and Mindelo. Praia underwent large modernization by the colonial governor João da Mata Chapuzet, one of the buildings he designed was Quartel Jaime Mota. Most of the buildings features roofs detached from its walls, common in Portugal and the Portuguese Empire at the time.
As Mindelo flourished in the mid to late 19th centuries with its coal refueling and telegraph services, numerous Pombaline and neoclassical architecture appeared across Mindelo. notable examples include Centro Nacional de Artesanato (founded as Centro de Artesanato), Palácio do Povo which features Indian style architecture with its walls and fences in pink, today which serves as the center of the island's administration and offices, others are Fortim d'El-Rei built in 1852 and used as a defense of Porto Grande and the city, the Mindelo Cultural Center, Mindelo Library, the old barracks, a replica of Lisbon's Torre de Belém, Paço do Concelho, Liceu Gil Eanes, the former British consulate, the French Cultural Center, bandstands or kiosks of Praças Estreia and Amilcar Cabral and the Mindelo Cathedral of Our Lady of Grace.

Other notable examples include those in Praia, the Praia City Hall and the buildings around Albuquerque square (also the 12 de Setembro Square) including the kiosk, Escola Grande and its buildings around Loreno Square, Museu Etnográfico da Praia, Praia Cathedral, the former Banco Nacional Ultramarino (BNU) Praia branch which is now the headquarters of Banco Comercial do Atlântico, Hospital Agostinho Neto (first as Praia Hospital), Praia Maria and Boutique hotels, Palácio Cultural Ildo Lobo, the building where Quintal da Música is located and most of all the Presidential Palace of Cape Verde with its luxuriant garden. On Fogo in São Filipe including one that is now Casa de Memória, the town kiosk which is also used as a bandstand and the Museu Municipal de São Filipe featuring a traditional hut and the municipal halls of Paul and Ribeira Grande.

Other cities featuring late Pombaline and neoclassical architecture across Cape Verde are in the centers of Paul (Pombas), Ponta do Sol, Porto Novo, built when it was called Carvoeiros, Ribeira Brava, Tarrafal de São Nicolau, a few in Santa Maria, Sal Rei, Cidade do Maio, Pedra Badejo, Assomada, Calheta de São Miguel, Tarrafal, Cova Figueira, Mosteiros, Furna, Fajã de Agua and Nova Sintra and villages including Rabil and Povoação Velha

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