Casa da Garrida

Beautiful building ..

Located at one end of the village of Ponte de Lima, Casa Garrida is a building that dates back, quite possibly, to the last quarter of the 18th century, showing a baroque organization but with a decorative rococo grammar. Its characteristics make it possible to inscribe it in the architectural tradition of the North of the country, namely, in the model that integrates the chapel on the facade (AZEVEDO, 1969, p. 81). However, in this case the chapel was treated in an autonomous way, being even removed from the housing building, to which it is connected by another body, recessed and opened in the second register by a colonnade, which must have been added at the time posterior (MESQUITA; LIMA, 1973, p. 11). Garrida's house has a floor plan formed by the three bodies already mentioned, whose reflection is very evident in the elevation, which is also irregular. The façade of the dwelling house, denotes a horizontal trend and develops in a unique plan, only dynamized by the symmetrical opening of openings (doors and windows on the ground floor and bay windows on the main floor), and by the respective decorative elements. Thus, the ground spans are surmounted by floral motifs, but flanked by the corbels that support the bay windows. These form a frieze that prints a horizontal line on the facade, but which is balanced with the vertical direction given by the connection between the spans of the two floors. In turn, the upper windows are surmounted by floral motifs, windings and shells, of Rococo taste, which join the bulky cork. The intermediate body stands out, only, for the colonnade and the bell, placed next to the chapel. Part of this facade is occupied, on the ground floor, by one of the flights of steps leading to the temple. The elevation of the chapel, of reduced dimension, is defined, in the corners, by pilasters with pinnacles, and finished off by a triangular pediment interrupted by a cross. In the center, the portal opens, flanked by pilasters that support a wide entablature, on which a window is torn and the stone of arms is displayed. The property was sold in 1970, after the death of the owner António da Silva Gouveia Vieira Lisboa, and acquired by Manuel Gonçalves, being, since then, at the center of a controversy between the new owner and the Municipality of Ponte de Lime. The issue was related to the fact that Manuel Gonçalves intended to dismantle the house and restructure it in another location - his property, located in the municipality of Vila Nova de Famalicão. The architect Viana de Lima came to elaborate a project to recover the property, for the new implantation, which never came to fruition (MESQUITA; LIMA, 1973, p. 11). In 1973, the house was classified as a Property of Public Interest, thus making this claim unfeasible.

Casa da Garrida is one of the most beautiful emblazoned manors in the village of Ponte de Lima. It is worth coming here and admiring this building and the beautiful gardens that surround it. It is currently owned by Universidade Fernando Pessoa.