“The Color of the Facades of Elvas” was the motto for the “Percursos pelo Património” initiative, which took place this Saturday morning, March 23, starting from Praça da República and brought together nearly 30 people.
This route was guided by professor José Aguiar who reveals that Elvas did not always have the colors we see today, explaining its evolution. “The colors of Elvas were not always as they are today, they were quite different. Nowadays, we see a lot of white and ochre, but in fact this ‘fashion’ comes from the 20th century. Elvas was a royal city and had a more erudite treatment of its facades and simulated, in its architectural details, the colors of stone, through various types of techniques and marked the most noble buildings with color”.
The visit visited some places in the city and revealed “constructive techniques, pigments and local traditions”. José Aguiar also explains the origin of yellow, in Alentejo: “from the 18th century onwards, yellow, which was ochre, became very popular with the emergence of yellow in Mafra and Terreiro do Paço, which became the official color of buildings military and state, because it was a color of the emperor, which represented gold”.
The professor considers this to be a “fundamental and interesting” initiative, so that people “know and defend their heritage”.
This was the first of six routes, promoted by Elvas City Council, which until October will showcase the city’s heritage.
Tags: Heritage tour reveals evolution color Elvas facades photos
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