Garden of Santa Barbara (Braga)

Garden of Santa Bárbara
Garden of Santa Barbara and eastern wing of the Archiepiscopal Court
Location	Braga, Braga, Cávado, Norte, Portugal
Coordinates	41°33′5.02″N 8°25′33.12″W
Elevation	187 m (614 ft)
Named for	Saint Barbara
Operator	Instituto Gestão do Patrimonio Arquitectónico e Arqueológico

The Garden of Santa Barbara (Portuguese: Jardim de Santa Bárbara) is a municipal garden in the civil parish of Sé, municipality of Braga, alongside the eastern wing of the historical Archbishop's Palace of Braga.

History

The Garden was actually a modern elaboration of the space: in 1955, the garden was landscaped, in keeping with the Estado Novo romanticism of the period.[1] From plaques located on the site, the design and landscaping was completed by José Cardoso da Silva (from a posthumous inscription dedicated by the municipal government of Braga).

Geography

Another perspective of the Garden, from the northeast corner of the grounds

The remains of the medieval arcade of the palace forming the southwest corner of the garden

The garden is located in the northeast corner of the Archbishop's Palace, on an elevation. It consists of geometric designs carved from beds of boxwood, decorated with cedar topiaries.[1]

The northern patio of the Palace, alongside the Garden, is manicured with diverse architectural elements; specifically, the remains of cornices, statues and coat-of-arms in rock. Delimiting this space, are the broken ruins of an arcade, that pertained to the medieval palace.[1] Located in the middle of the garden is a statue of Saint Barbara on a fountain, which represents the patron saint of the garden, and namesake.

References

Notes

1. Sereno, Isabel; Santos, João; Gonçalves, Joaquim (2003). SIPA (ed.). "Antigo Paço Arquiepiscopal de Braga/Biblioteca Pública e Arquivo Distrital de Braga" (in Portuguese). Lisbon, Portugal: SIPA–Sistema de Informação para o Património Arquitectónico.