Funchal Sacred Art Museum

The Museum
The Museu de Arte Sacra do Funchal is located in the former Episcopal Palace founded by D. Luís Figueiredo de Lemos in 1594. It was designed by Jerónimo Jorge, the master of royal works who worked here on the defences of the city of Funchal. Of the original building there is still a western section over the present square of the Municipal district and Rua do Bispo. The sobriety of the mannerism is highly evident in the northern arches or in the Chapel of São Luís de Toulosa whose façade has an inscription bearing the name of its founder Luís de Figueiredo Lemos and the date of 1600. António Teles da Silva, the Bishop of Funchal, carried out new improvement works between 1675-1682. After the earthquake of 1748, major rebuilding works were carried out as it was badly damaged. The new project for the Episcopal Palace was commissioned to Domingos Rodrigues Martins. The totality was then harmonised by a central block with an inscription over the main gate dating from 1750.

From 1910 to 1950, the Episcopal Palace began to be used as the Funchal High School, subsequently being re-adapted as a Museum.
With the visit of the curator of the Palácio da Ajuda, Manuel Cayola Zagallo, more attention began to be paid – and more consistently – to the importance of the collection Flemish Art spread amongst the churches and chapels of the Diocese of Funchal. With the full support of the Bishop of Funchal, António Pereira Ribeiro, and of the public entities of the time, the identified works were sent to Lisbon for restoration. After major conservation and restoration works by Fernando Mardel, the paintings were displayed in Lisbon at the National Ancient Art Museum in 1949. Later they would be displayed at the Funchal Sacred Art Museum inaugurated in 1955. Other works followed, particularly Goldsmithery, Religious Articles and Sculpture, chiefly Portuguese workshops, which were often unused and in a poor state of repair, in many churches of the Diocese, and which became part of the Museum collections.
Two main groups are worthy of special mention, Flemish Art, with Painting, Sculpture and Goldsmithery dating back to between the end of the 15th century and the early years of the 16th century, and that of Portuguese Art, between the 15th century and the 18th century.

As regards Flemish Art and Painting, worthy of special mention are the altarpieces such as Descida da Cruz, attributed to Gérard David, São Tiago, attributed to Dieric Bouts, Adoração dos Reis Magos attributed to Mestre da Adoração de Machico, A Anunciação and the Tríptico de São Pedro, São Paulo e Santo André, attributed to Joos Van Cleve, or Maria Madalena, the Volantes do Tríptico da Matriz da Calheta attributed to Jan Provoost and the Tríptico de Santiago Menor e São Filipe, attributed to Pieter de Coeck Van Aelst. In Flemish sculpture worthy of special mention is Nossa Senhora da Conceição, at the Mother Church of Machico, from the Malines school, or the set Deposição no Túmulo. Also worthy of special mention is an exceptional Tray, made of goldened silver, punctured of Antwerp from the early 16th century.

As regards Portuguese Art three basic areas are worthy of special mention: a Painting, Sculpture and Goldsmithery. As regards Painting, São Bento or São Boaventura from the late 15th century, the Ascensão de Cristo by Fernão Gomes, or the Onze Mil Virgens by Martin Conrado. In the sculpture, there is a wide range of works from the mid-16th century to the 18th century, with a special mention of São Sebastião attributed to Diogo-Pires-o-Moço, or the sculpture set in the Funchal Cathedral altar from the mid-17th century attributed to Manuel Pereira, or Saint Isabel, Queen of Portugal from the mid-17th century and Nossa Senhora dos Remédios from the mid-18th century.

As regards goldsmithery, of particular note is the Treasure of Funchal Cathedral, with the exceptional golden silver Processional Cross, offered by D.Manuel I, King of Portugal, from the second decade of the 16th century. There is also an important set of mannerist goldsmithery of Eucharist Goblets and Trays from various Churches of the Diocese of Funchal or the Amphora of Funchal Cathedral. As regards the 18th century, special mention goes to the silver Urn and gold Monstrance of Funchal Cathedral.

The Museum also has a collection of religious articles with examples from the mid 17th and 18th centuries, gold and silver-lined, with the application of precious stones.



Services:

Education
The Museum has educational services with their own technicians supporting the relationship with the various publics, children, young people, senior citizens and with special needs.

Store
The Museum Reception/Store sells and distributes informative material such as newsletters, guide books, postcards, posters, and catalogues about the Museum, its collections or temporary events. 

Cafeteria

The Museum has a cafeteria restaurant esplanade for the visitors