Palace of São João Novo, Manor house in Morro da Vitoria, Portugal
The Palace of São João Novo is a manor house featuring symmetrical architecture with a central staircase that connects three floors through multiple spacious granite-built halls. The building sits on elevated ground near the Capela de Nossa Senhora do Ó and the Port Wine Institute.
Construction of this baroque residence began in 1727 under architect Pedro Costa Lima. Expansions to the west were added during the 1800s, increasing the building's overall size and complexity.
The building served as home to the Museum of Ethnology from 1945 to 1992, where visitors could see regional crafts and everyday objects from different parts of the country. The spaces were arranged to show how people lived and worked in earlier times.
The building is located among several other heritage sites in the neighborhood, making it worth exploring the surrounding area on foot. Expect stairs and steep paths since the site sits on elevated ground in a hilly district.
A major fire in 1984 damaged the museum directorate offices, triggering substantial modifications throughout the interior. These changes remain visible today in how different rooms and passages were altered and reorganized.
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