Palácio Da Justiça (Coimbra)

The Palácio da Justiça is a historic building located in central Coimbra, Portugal, presently housing the city's Law Courts. It was formerly a religious house of the Dominican Order under the name College of St. Thomas (Portuguese: ''Colégio de São Tomás'') and, whilst the private residence of the Counts of Ameal, was known as Palácio Ameal. Both of its former designations are still current in colloquial use.

Religious house

Originally a Dominican friary and house of formation affiliated with the University of Coimbra, the College of St. Thomas was established in 1538. Its name referred to Dominican saint and Doctor of the Church Thomas Aquinas. Construction began in the 1540s under the rector Fr. Martinho de Ledesma, with plans by Asturian architect . The educational and residential areas of the college were arranged around a central cloister. In the 18th century, the upper floor on the east side was expanded and renovated according to contemporary taste, including the addition of new windows and a balcony to the facade.

The building faces onto ''Rua da Sofia'', the street where the colleges of several religious orders came to be concentrated. The artery is named for the Greek word ''Sophia'' (σοφία, "knowledge" or "wisdom") on this account.

Palace of the Counts of Ameal

After the extinction of religious orders in 1834, the building was incorporated into the National Treasury and used as a warehouse until it was acquired by João Maria Correia Ayres de Campos, 1st Count of Ameal. In 1895, architect Silva Pinto was hired to adapt it to its new residential function using a neoclassical revivalist design, but most of its significant original features, including its cloister, several of its vaulted late-Gothic interiors and its Renaissance-style portico, were maintained. The latter, which included a significant sculpture group in the style of João de Ruão, figured in the Count's bookplate, designed around 1900. Ayres de Campos famously used the complex to display his vast art collection and to house his library, both of which were among the most important in Portugal at the time.Various authors, "Conde do Ameal" in Enciclopédia Luso-Brasileira, vol. II, Lisboa, 1965; p. 312: "O ilustre titular foi um dos nossos mais criteriosos coleccionadores, reünindo no seu palácio à Rua da Sofia um verdadeiro museu de preciosidades em artes ..e aumentando a já notável livraria que o seu pai lhe legou, tornando-a uma das melhores bibliotecas privadas do país."

Public building

In 1928, the building was bought by the Ministry of Justice and repurposed as the city's courthouse, becoming known colloquially as ''Palácio da Justiça''. As a result, further alterations were carried out in 1930. These works were based on a project by Manuel Abreu Castelo Branco, and supervised by the Directorate-General for National Buildings and Monuments. Around this time, the original portico was removed and reassembled in the Machado de Castro National Museum.

See also

* João Maria Correia Ayres de Campos, 1st Count of Ameal
* Count of Ameal
* João Ameal
* João Correia Ayres de Campos

References

{{Reflist

Buildings and structures in Coimbra
Government buildings in Portugal
Palaces in Portugal