Águas Livres Aqueduct
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The Águas Livres Aqueduct (, , "Aqueduct of the Free Waters") is a historic aqueduct in the city of
Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...
,
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
. It is one of the most remarkable examples of 18th-century Portuguese
engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...
. The main course of the aqueduct covers 18 km, but the whole network of canals reaches nearly 58 km. Lisbon had always suffered from a lack of
drinking water Drinking water or potable water is water that is safe for ingestion, either when drunk directly in liquid form or consumed indirectly through food preparation. It is often (but not always) supplied through taps, in which case it is also calle ...
. Thus, King
John V John V may refer to: * Patriarch John V of Alexandria or John the Merciful (died by 620), Patriarch of Alexandria from 606 to 616 * John V of Constantinople, Patriarch from 669 to 675 * Pope John V (685–686), Pope from 685 to his death in 686 ...
decided to build an aqueduct to bring water from sources in the
parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...
of Caneças, in the modern municipality of
Odivelas Odivelas () is a municipality in the Lisbon metropolitan area, Portugal. The municipality is located 8 km northwest of the center of Lisbon. Predominantly a residential suburb, the population in 2021 was 148 034, in an area of 26.54 km2 (one of t ...
. The project was paid for by a
sales tax A sales tax is a tax paid to a governing body for the sales of certain goods and services. Usually laws allow the seller to collect funds for the tax from the consumer at the point of purchase. When a tax on goods or services is paid to a govern ...
on
beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). Beef can be prepared in various ways; Cut of beef, cuts are often used for steak, which can be cooked to varying degrees of doneness, while trimmings are often Ground beef, grou ...
,
olive oil Olive oil is a vegetable oil obtained by pressing whole olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea'', a traditional Tree fruit, tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin) and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking for frying foods, as a cond ...
,
wine Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...
, and other products.


History


Background

Water was in scarce supply even for Lisbon's earliest inhabitants. The
Tagus The Tagus ( ; ; ) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales between Cuenca and Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally westward, and empties into the Atlantic Ocean in Lisbon. Name T ...
estuary bordering their settlement was too brackish to be potable due to tidal influx of seawater. The only area with reliable spring water was the Alfama neighborhood. With the growth of the city outside of its medieval walls, pressures on its water supply grew. The idea of using water from the Carenque river valley, near Belas, became attractive. This source was first used by the Romans, who built a
dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...
and an aqueduct there. In 1571,
Francisco de Holanda Francisco de Holanda (c. 1517 – 19 June 1585) was a Portuguese artist, architect, and art essayist. He served as a court painter for the kings João III of Portugal and Sebastião of Portugal. He was an influential figure in the Portuguese Ren ...
proposed using the Roman system to supply Lisbon's water to Portuguese king Sebastian. Some time later, in 1620, the proposal resurfaced to use the still viable Roman-era aqueducts, this time to Philip II. The king instituted a tax to fund construction. The funds, however, were diverted to charity rather than to building work. The continuing water problems attracted the attention of city administrators again in 1728, who levied a broader tax on certain foods products in order to raise aqueduct financing. A year later, in 1729, three men were appointed to prepare the construction plan for the system that would include the construction of a monumental section of the aqueduct over the Alcântara valley.


Construction

Construction started in 1731, under the direction of Italian architect Antonio Canevari, replaced in 1732 by a group of Portuguese architects and engineers, including Manuel da Maia, Azevedo Fortes and José da Silva Pais. Between 1733 and 1736, the project was directed by Manuel da Maia, who in turn was replaced by Custódio Vieira, who would remain at the head of the project until around 1747. Custódio Vieira conceived the centerpiece of the aqueduct, the arches over the Alcântara valley, completed in 1744. A total of 35 arches cross the valley, covering 941 m. The tallest arches reach a height of 65 m, and many are pointed, reminiscent of arches in
Gothic style Gothic architecture is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It evolved from Romanesque ar ...
. It is considered a masterpiece of engineering in the
Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
period. In 1748, although the project was still unfinished, the aqueduct finally started to bring water to the city of Lisbon, a fact celebrated in a commemorative arch built in the Amoreiras neighbourhood. From this period on, construction was overseen by other architects, including Carlos Mardel of
Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
and others. During the reigns of
José I '' Dom'' Joseph I (; 6 June 1714 – 24 February 1777), known as the Reformer (Portuguese: ''o Reformador''), was King of Portugal from 31 July 1750 until his death in 1777. Among other activities, Joseph was devoted to hunting and the opera. H ...
and
Maria I ''Dom (title), Dona'' Maria I (Maria Francisca Isabel Josefa Antónia Gertrudes Rita Joana; 17 December 1734 – 20 March 1816) also known as Maria the Pious in Portugal and Maria the Mad in Brazil, was Queen of Portugal from 24 February 1777 ...
, the network of
canal Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface ...
s and
fountain A fountain, from the Latin "fons" ( genitive "fontis"), meaning source or spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect. Fountains were o ...
s was greatly enlarged. On November 1, 1755, the
1755 Lisbon earthquake The 1755 Lisbon earthquake, also known as the Great Lisbon earthquake, impacted Portugal, the Iberian Peninsula, and Northwest Africa on the morning of Saturday, 1 November, All Saints' Day, Feast of All Saints, at around 09:40 local time. In ...
hit the city, but the brand new aqueduct managed to remain intact.


Use

After delivering its first water in 1748, the aqueduct fed a whole new network of fountains built in the city simply by gravity. The system's capacity was continuously increased due to the growing water needs boosted by the city's growing population. Work was mostly done on the upstream end, to collect more water. The system comprised, in total, of under- and above-ground conduits and galleries. Following the 1880s, the importance of the aqueduct decreased considerably due to increased use of the Alviela River watershed via the Alviela Aqueduct. Steam pumps filled the Barbadinhos reservoir, that in turn fed Lisbon. The aqueduct, however, remained operational until 1967 as a pipe run that transported water from other sources (the concrete pipe supports are still visible inside). The piping was decommissioned in 1968. It is possible to visit and cross the aqueduct, starting at the ''Museu da Água'' (Water Museum) site in Lisbon's Campolide neighbourhood.


Mãe d'Água

The ''Mãe d'Água'' (Mother of the Water)
reservoir A reservoir (; ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam, usually built to water storage, store fresh water, often doubling for hydroelectric power generation. Reservoirs are created by controlling a watercourse that drains an existing body of wa ...
of the Amoreiras, the largest of the water reservoirs, was finished in 1834. This reservoir, with a capacity of 5,500 m³ of water, was designed by Carlos Mardel. It is now deactivated and can be visited as part of the ''Museu da Água'' (Water Museum).


References


Bibliography

*


External links


The Water Museum

Listing by Portuguese Institute for Architectural Heritage (SIPA)

Listing by General Bureau for National Buildings and Monuments



The Water Museum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aguas Livres Aqueduct Infrastructure completed in 1748 Buildings and structures in Lisbon Aqueducts in Portugal Tourist attractions in Lisbon National monuments in Lisbon District