Restaurants, bars and museums in Lisbon · Page 342

Torre do Tombo National Archive

Alvalade

Museums

The Torre do Tombo National Archive, called Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo in Portuguese, is the national archive of Portugal. It stands at Alameda da Universidade s/n, 1600-062 Lisboa, in the Alvalade neighbourhood. Established in 1378, it is one of the oldest archival institutions in the world. Its physical records extend to 140 kilometres (87 miles) and cover the period from the 9th century to the present. The holdings include medieval royal charters, overseas expansion logs, Inquisition records and modern governmental papers. The name means "Tower of the Tome" and points to the archive's early home in one of the towers of the castle in Lisbon, São Jorge Castle. The installation took place during the reign of Ferdinand I, probably in 1378, the date of the first testimony. The word tombo comes from the Greek tômos, meaning a part or volume. At first it referred to important documents written on papyri and parchments, and the Books of Tombo, which recorded royal possessions, travelled with the court until a fixed location became necessary for safekeeping. In the tower, the archive served as a reference for the king and the nobility, with documents supporting the administration of the kingdom and overseas territories and recording relations between the State and foreign kingdoms. A Royal Keeper ran the institution. The first known Royal Keeper was João Annes de Almada, appointed by King John I. António Baião was the last Royal Keeper and the first Director of the renewed institution after the Portuguese Republic was established. The archive also issued certificates requested by individuals and institutions, and with the king's authorisation it allowed some scholars to consult and even borrow documents. On 1 November 1755 the tower collapsed in the Lisbon earthquake. Manuel da Maia, then Keeper of the Royal Archives, was responsible for saving the contents. At 75 years old he led the team to São Jorge Castle and rescued nearly 90,000 pieces accumulated between 1161 and 1696. The documents were kept in a wooden hut in the Praça de Armas, authorised by the Marquis of Pombal on 6 November, and Maia petitioned for a permanent home. It was eventually granted as the Convent of São Bento, which today houses Portugal's parliament. The present building followed a public tender in 1982. The cornerstone was laid in 1985, and it was inaugurated in 1990, purpose built to receive the national archive. Architect Arsénio Cordeiro designed it, and sculptor José Aurélio sculpted the gargoyles. Its heritage status is monument of public interest.

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