Daily
Local authority wants to move forward with the idea, remembering the path that D. Miguel da Silva – former cardinal from the 16th century – took from the Cathedral to the former Episcopal Palace of Fontelo
Photographer: CM Viseu
The Viseu City Council intends to create the Rota do Cardeal, which will allow you to follow the same path that D. Miguel da Silva took from the Cathedral to the old Paço Episcopal do Fontelo (currently Solar do Vinho do Dão).
Speaking to journalists at the end of the council executive meeting this Thursday (May 9), president Fernando Ruas explained that the idea is to provide this experience to seniors within the scope of the “Viseu, Senhora da Beira” project (which encourages older people to rediscover the municipality’s territory), but not only that.
The objective is to “open the way so that a person who comes for cultural tourism can take this route and get to know D. Miguel da Silva”, who was a great figure of the Portuguese Renaissance, explained the mayor.
D. Miguel da Silva was a Portuguese cardinal prevented from being Pope by King D. João III.
According to Fernando Ruas, anyone who does the Cardeal Route will be able to discover the Adro da Sé museums, the history of D. Miguel da Silva and the Solar do Vinho do Dão, “which most people don’t know about”.
“Now we are going to work on it and publicize it and the best way is through seniors”, he considered.
Fernando Ruas recalled the importance of D. Miguel da Silva (buried in Rome in 1556, in the church of Santa Maria de Trastevere), but that “he was erased from history” due to the persecution carried out by King D. João III.
“He was the first Portuguese to be on the list of candidates for Pope. He was known in Rome as the Cardinal of Viseu,” said the mayor, adding that he “had a private architect, Francisco de Cremona, who carried out a series of works in the country during the Renaissance.”
When D. Miguel da Silva, who lived in Italy, returned to Viseu accompanied by the architect Francisco de Cremona, he renovated the Episcopal Palace (which had begun to be built in 1399) and, inspired by Italian gardens, ordered the construction of the Renaissance garden of Fontelo .
