Museums and Palaces

Preserving and disseminating the historical memory of Matosinhos and Leça da Palmeira through art is the central mission of this museum, managed by the municipality and inaugurated on April 2, 1996.

The museum, housed in a historic building - presumably completed in 1896, was built as a residence for the Santiago de Carvalho e Sousa family, with a project by the Italian architect Nicola Bigaglia - and is a privileged witness to the profound urban and social transformations that took place in the city of Matosinhos-Liça in the end of the century. XIX and throughout the century. XX.

It integrates, since 2003, the Portuguese Museums Network, is one of the founding museological spaces of MuMa - Matosinhos Museums Network and member of ICOM since 2007.

Since 2009, Quinta de Santiago has been made up of 3 buildings: The Museum, made up of 2 museum floors, where, in addition to the characteristic atmosphere of the late 19th century interiors. XIX, we can find a patent exhibition; Espaço Irene Vilar, equipped with a multipurpose auditorium and space for educational services; and Casa do Bosque, where the Gigante Waterfall is installed, with about 15m² - a representative reconstruction of Leça from the beginning of the 20th century. XX - built by José Moreira and donated to the Museum.

In the large garden surrounding the Museum, visitors can find sculptural works by Siza Viera, Rui Anahory and Lagoa Henriques.