António Augusto Carvalho Monteiro (1848 – 1920), also known as ''Monteiro dos Milhões'' (Monteiro the Millionaire), was a Brazilian-Portuguese businessman, collector, bibliophile,

entomologist Entomology (from Ancient Greek ἔντομον (''éntomon''), meaning "insect", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study") is the branch of zoology that focuses on insects. Those who study entomology are known as entomologists. In ...

and

Freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

. His largesse created the

Quinta da Regaleira ''Quinta da Regaleira'' is a Quinta (estate), ''quinta'' (manor house) located near the historic centre of Sintra, Portugal. It is classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO within the "Cultural Landscape of Sintra". Along with the other pala ...

Early life and education

António was born to Portuguese parents in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

. His father, Francisco Monteiro, originally from Lagos da Beira, immigrated at the age of 13 to escape the priesthood his father had destined for him. He initially worked in an English coal import company. Francisco later married Teresa de Carvalho, the daughter of a wealthy merchant who had left Lisbon with the Portuguese court. In 1873, he married Perpétua Augusta Pereira de Melo, with whom he had two children. António inherited a huge family fortune, which he enlarged in

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

by selling

coffee Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially a ...

and

precious stone Precious may refer to: Music * Precious (group), a British female pop group Albums * ''Precious'' (Chanté Moore album), 1992 * ''Precious'' (Conrad Sewell album), 2023 * ''Precious'' (Cubic U album), 1998 * ''Precious'' (Ours album), 20 ...

s, which soon made it possible for him to leave for

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 ...

.Carvalho, Fernando Vaz dos Santos.
António Augusto Carvalho Monteiro: Um Naturalista Pioneiro: As Coleções de História Natural
', 2012. António was fluent in Latin, Greek, French and German. In 1871, he received a degree in Law from the

University of Coimbra The University of Coimbra (UC; , ) is a Public university, public research university in Coimbra, Portugal. First established in Lisbon in 1290, it went through a number of relocations until moving permanently to Coimbra in 1537. The university ...

. He also received prizes in agriculture and mineralogy. He was a member of many scientific societies, including the Royal Spanish Society of Natural History, the German Entomological Society, and the Entomological Societies of France, London and Belgium (1889 ).

Interests

Carvalho Monteiro was an accomplished naturalist. He had large collections of butterflies, shells, and orchids. He had the second largest lepidopteran collection in the world, only surpassed by that of Baron Walter de Rothschild. In addition, he was involved with his father in the foundation of the Lisbon Zoo and served as executive director and honorary president in 1917. Carvalho Monteiro was a well-known

bibliophile A bookworm or bibliophile is an individual who loves and frequently reads or collects books. Bibliophilia or bibliophilism is the love of books. Bibliophiles may have large, specialized book collections. They may highly value old editions, aut ...

, with a superb collection of the works of the 16th-century poet Camões. He also gathered more than 600 works on entomology. Carvalho Monteiro was represented in the press of his time as both an altruist and an eccentric, exemplified by his famous Leroy 01, claimed to be the most complicated clock in the world.

Tomb

Carvalho Monteiro had the same architect who built the Palácio da Regaleira, Luigi Manini, build his

tomb A tomb ( ''tumbos'') or sepulchre () is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes. Placing a corpse into a tomb can be called '' immurement'', alth ...

in the

Prazeres Cemetery Prazeres Cemetery () is one of the largest cemeteries in Lisbon, Portugal; it is located in the ''freguesia'' (civil parish) of Estrela, in western Lisbon (formerly, within the parish of Prazeres). It is considered to be one of the most beauti ...

. The door of the tomb, also encrusted with symbolism, was opened with the same key that opened the Palácio da Regaleira and his palace in Lisbon, on the Rua do Alecrim. As visitors enter the cemetery grove, they encounter the tomb on the left, with the orientation, size, and shape of a

Masonic temple A Masonic Temple or Masonic Hall is, within Freemasonry, the room or edifice where a Masonic Lodge meets. Masonic Temple may also refer to an abstract spiritual goal and the conceptual ritualistic space of a meeting. Development and history I ...

, oriented towards the east. It is covered in various symbols. The door knocker is engraved with a

bee Bees are winged insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their roles in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamil ...

carrying a skull. The bee, which is diligent and hard-working, represents the Mason in his organized work. The gradeamento which can be seen in the back of the tomb, is festooned with the symbolic

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

bread Bread is a baked food product made from water, flour, and often yeast. It is a staple food across the world, particularly in Europe and the Middle East. Throughout recorded history and around the world, it has been an important part of many cu ...

, the spirit and the

body Body may refer to: In science * Physical body, an object in physics that represents a large amount, has mass or takes up space * Body (biology), the physical material of an organism * Body plan, the physical features shared by a group of anim ...

. There are also decorative

owl Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers a ...

s, symbolizing

wisdom Wisdom, also known as sapience, is the ability to apply knowledge, experience, and good judgment to navigate life’s complexities. It is often associated with insight, discernment, and ethics in decision-making. Throughout history, wisdom ha ...

, as well as

poppies Poppies can refer to: *Poppy, a flowering plant *The Poppies (disambiguation) - multiple uses *''Poppies (film)'' - Children's BBC remembrance animation *Poppies (Mary Oliver poem), ''Poppies'' (poem) - a poem by Mary Oliver *"Poppies", a song by P ...

, the symbol of eternal

sleep Sleep is a state of reduced mental and physical activity in which consciousness is altered and certain Sensory nervous system, sensory activity is inhibited. During sleep, there is a marked decrease in muscle activity and interactions with th ...

References

External links

António Augusto de Carvalho Monteiro : um naturalista pioneiro
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carvalho Monteiro 1848 births 1920 deaths People from Rio de Janeiro (city) Brazilian people of Portuguese descent 19th-century Portuguese lawyers Brazilian entomologists University of Coimbra alumni Portuguese bibliophiles

Early life and education

Interests

Tomb

See also

References

External links