Manuel António Gomes (9 December 1868 – 21 December 1933) was a Portuguese Catholic priest, inventor and physicist. He was a very tall man, and was nicknamed ''Father Himalaya'' (in Portuguese: ''Padre Himalaya''), a name he proudly used frequently. He was born at Santiago de Cendufe,

Arcos de Valdevez Arcos de Valdevez () is a concelho, municipality along the northern frontier of Portugal and Galicia (Spain), Galicia (Spain). The population in 2011 was 22,847,Viana do Castelo Viana do Castelo () is a concelho, municipality and seat of the district of Viana do Castelo District, Viana do Castelo in the Norte Region, Portugal, Norte Region of Portugal. The population in 2021 was 85,778, in an area of . The urbanized are ...

in 1933. Father Himalaya was a pioneer in Portugal of

solar energy Solar energy is the radiant energy from the Sun's sunlight, light and heat, which can be harnessed using a range of technologies such as solar electricity, solar thermal energy (including solar water heating) and solar architecture. It is a ...

and other uses of renewable energy. He was a

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...

and was interested in

naturopathy Naturopathy, or naturopathic medicine, is a form of alternative medicine. A wide array of practices branded as "natural", "non-invasive", or promoting "self-healing" are employed by its practitioners, who are known as naturopaths. Difficult ...

, particularly fitotherapy and

hydrotherapy Hydrotherapy, formerly called hydropathy and also called water cure, is a branch of alternative medicine (particularly naturopathy), occupational therapy, and Physical therapy, physiotherapy, that involves the use of water for pain relief and ...

. He studied in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

with

Marcellin Berthelot Pierre Eugène Marcellin Berthelot (; 25 October 1827 – 18 March 1907) was a French chemist and Republican politician noted for the ThomsenBerthelot principle of thermochemistry. He synthesized many organic compounds from inorganic substance ...

and developed mathematical and astronomical theories to construct innovative ways of concentrating solar radiation in order to maximise useful energy production. Gomes is the creator of the

pyreliophorus The Pyreliophorus was a device similar to a burning glass, created by the Portuguese priest Manuel António Gomes, also known as ''padre Himalaya'', whose objective was to melt many different types of materials using solar energy. The device used se ...

, a series of reflecting mirrors to concentrate sunlight towards a common point in order to melt materials. He lived in the United States and Argentina between 1927 and 1932. In Argentina he wrote a book about cosmology, his inventions and his innovative views on several areas of science.

External links

Solar contest "Padre Himalaya" promoted by program Ciência Viva

Resumo da obra “A Conspiração Solar do Padre Himalaya – Esboço biográfico dum português pioneiro da Ecologia”

Association of Friends of Father Himalaya
1868 births 1933 deaths Portuguese physicists Portuguese Roman Catholic priests People from Arcos de Valdevez 19th-century Portuguese clergy 19th-century Portuguese scientists {{Portugal-scientist-stub