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GPS 37.09658828734492, -7.8955994390457045
The Estoi Palace, also known as Casa de Estói, Quinta de Estói and Quinta do Carvalhal, and originally as Jardim de Estoy, is a historic building located near the town of Estói, in the municipality of Faro, in the Algarve region, in Portugal. Part of the Estoi Palace complex is occupied by a hotel unit. It is considered one of the main monuments in the Algarve, due to its architectural and decorative richness, combining elements of the Baroque, Rococo, Neoclassical and Romantic styles. It was classified as a Property of Public Interest.
The Palace of Estoi complex is large, consisting essentially of two elements, an old manor house and gardens. The manor house is made up of several volumes, roughly forming a U-shaped structure, with the Jardim do Carrascal in the centre. It is mainly integrated in the Italian baroque lines, with several elements in other styles. This variety of styles and shapes does not always constitute a harmonious combination, generating inconsistencies between the elements, thus creating some arrangements that can almost be considered kitsch.
Inside, it has several richly decorated and furnished rooms, with decoration using the French model of the 18th century. One of the most outstanding spaces in the palace is the chapel, with a bell tower, and an interior in the Louis XV style, with a tiled ceiling and painted ceiling. The extensive gardens are organized on three levels, and are partially combined with several areas for agricultural production. This area is also profusely decorated with exotic trees, sculptures and tiles, mainly in the Baroque style. Among the most outstanding elements are an 18th-century nativity scene, the sculpture of the Three Graces, made in Pisa, and the Ossónoba Fountain set, and two sculptures of shepherds in Carrara marble. On the third floor, the two lookouts are also highlighted, decorated with paintings by Francisco Sousa Alves. The set of tiles in the gardens includes polychrome panels on the middle level, and panels in blue and white tones, by José Maria Pereira Junior, on the highest level.
The palace has its origins in an 18th century farm, founded by Marshal Francisco de Pereira Coutinho, who was connected to the high nobility, having probably been inspired by the National Palace of Queluz. The farm was built in a climate of major economic and social changes in the region, with bourgeois families gaining power in urban centres, relegating the former noble families to their properties in the interior of the Algarve. However, construction of the palace only began in the mid-19th century, by his son, Fernando de Carvalhal e Vasconcelos, who would have been influenced by the Pena Palace in Sintra. However, he died before the completion of the works, which were taken over by his brother Luís Filipe do Carvalhal, although he also expired before the palace was built. Thus, the property passed to the younger brother, José Maria Pereira do Carvalhal, and then to his sisters. The property was abandoned until the 1890s, when it was bought by José Francisco da Silva, who restarted the works, and the palace was inaugurated in May 1909, in a very solemn event that lasted three days. José Francisco da Silva died in 1926, and the palace later passed through several owners, leading to its progressive degradation. Despite being classified as a Property of Public Interest in 1977, the first steps towards restoring the palace were only taken in the late 1980s, when it was acquired by the municipality of Faro. The monument underwent extensive conservation work throughout the 1990s, and at that time plans began to be made for converting it into a guesthouse, as a way of promoting its profitability. In 2003, work began to adapt the inn, which was inaugurated at Easter 2009.
Description
Location and accesses
The Palácio de Estói is located roughly to the north of the village of the same name, and is integrated into its urban fabric. Access is via Horta Nova and São José streets, the latter being the main entrance to the palace. The archaeological site of the Roman Ruins of Milreu is located near the palace. The village of Estoi is located in an area with a rural ambience, in the transition between the Barrocal and the coastal strip of the Algarve.
Conservation and importance
The palace and its gardens are known for their eclectic architecture, being considered by many authors as the most significant example of romantic architecture in the Algarve and one of the main ones in the country. The property also stands out for its decorative richness, its large dimensions, and the complex combination of gardens with spaces dedicated to agricultural production. It is considered one of the main monuments in Estói, together with the Roman Ruins of Milreu, making this village one of the best known in the Algarve region. The Palace and its gardens were classified as a Property of Public Interest and form part of the protection zone of the Old Urban Center of Estói.
Composition
The Palace of Estoi is an example of an old manor house, used mainly in summer periods, and can be classified as a recreational farm, due to its composition, formed by the palace building itself, and several open spaces, including extensive gardens. The concept of the recreational farm emerged in the 18th century in the Algarve, as a property that combined economic and leisure aspects. In the case of the Palace of Estoi, the productive areas, such as the citrus groves, were organized in combination with the garden spaces, which include various recreational structures and equipment, such as fresh houses, tea pavilions, a gazebo, and several artificial lakes. . The palace is not the only example of a recreational farm in the municipality of Faro, there are other properties that can be classified with this typology, such as Horta dos Macacos and the former Quinta da Família Bívar Cumano. The property was organized in a north-south direction, with the main façade facing north, leaving the palace building and gardens facing south.
Although the palace complex is a separate entity from the rest of Estoi due to its architecture and the structure of the various spaces, it still maintains a connection to the village through the road network, which conditioned its organization. This situation is particularly visible in a street that completely crosses the property, which starts from Jardim de Ossónoba, in Estoi, and which gives access to several agricultural lands, leading to the division of the gardens into two distinct areas. On the other hand, the palace itself and its grounds also imposed limits on the urban expansion of Estoi, mainly in the North zone.
Palace
The palace building in is laid out on a single floor, horizontally, with the central body higher and protruding in relation to the rest of the façade. The various volumes of the palace are roughly organized in a U-shape, with a square green space in the center, the Jardim do Carrascal, which was originally considered to be the main entrance to the palace. The exterior façade is relatively sober, having been organized in a symmetrical way, and featuring decorative elements in mortar, in order to imitate limestone. The interior façade, facing the gardens, is divided into three panels by Ionic pilasters, each of which is torn by a semicircular balcony opening, topped by an oculus with a countercurved pediment. The property, which corresponds to the upper part of the palace complex, was built on an artificial platform, in order to dominate the gardens and the productive area, in accordance with the Enlightenment procedures of the 18th century. This arrangement was also motivated by the very nature of the land at the site of the building, which forms a prominent slope.
The building boasts a mishmash of styles, being mostly based on Italian Baroque, with elements of Neoclassical, Neo-Rorococo and Art Nouveau. Vilhena de Mesquita described the palace in 1988 as having twenty-eight rooms, being of special interest, due to its dimensions and the richness of its furniture and decoration, the Main Hall, the Dining Room and the Visiting Room, the latter also known like Blue Room. The interior decoration used the French model of the 18th century, with the Great Hall, for example, being composed in the Louis XV style. This room was decorated with paintings on canvas on the ceiling and windows, by Adolfo Greno, together with small canvases by the artist José Maria Pereira Júnior, while the golden painting of the stucco was signed by Manuel da Costa. The pieces of furniture were supplied by Manuel Marino's company, and are lacquered by artist Domingos Costa. Adolfo Greno and Domingos Costa also worked on the interior decoration of the Church of Estoi. The Dining Room also stands out for its ceiling paintings, executed by José Maria Pereira Júnior, and for its walnut furniture, with carvings in the Italian style. Next is the Visiting Room, also decorated according to the Louis XV pattern, with emphasis on the ceiling, executed by Domingos Costa, and the furniture, also supplied by Manuel Marino's company. Inside the building, two small rooms are also worth mentioning, with ceilings painted by the artist Maria Barreta, from Naples, and the vestibule, through which access is given to Jardim do Carrascal. The palace's compartments are square and rectangular in plan, accessed through long, narrow corridors, but most of the rooms have connecting doors.
Chapel and inn
On the west side of the palace building is the chapel, which also borders Jardim do Carrascal. It has a longitudinal plan, with a single nave, and an imposing bell tower. The main façade has a single panel, with a prominent base, and is topped by a pediment with a triangular profile. The interior of the chapel also has a Louis XV aesthetic, with the walls lined with tiles, and the ceiling painted with scenes of the Ascension of Christ, by the artist Francisco Luís Alves. The chapel was dedicated to the Holy Family, originally having on the main altar a painting with this theme, painted in 1755 by the author S. S. Ferreira, from the Academy of Fine Arts in Madrid, but which in 1988 had recently been stolen. Also of interest are the two side altars, and two 17th-century paintings, one of which is attributed to Bento Coelho da Silveira. Other important elements in the palace include a tower for access to the roofs, a water tank and two fresco houses.
The inn has sixty-three rooms, located in an annexe on the west side of the palace, while the original building was reused as a recreational area and services, such as the reception and restaurant. It also includes an area for exhibitions, with a museum center on the historical evolution of the region. The old kitchens of the palace were converted into a restaurant establishment, the Visconde, with some original elements of that space having been preserved, such as the telephone system, the stove, the chimney and the washbasins.
Gardens
While the palace building was built in a hilly area, the part of the farm, corresponding to the gardens and production area, was installed in flatter spaces, more suitable for agricultural practices. This area develops on three levels, joined by double staircases, with opposite sections. They are decorated with busts, statues, tile panels and other elements, including an 18th-century nativity scene from the Portuguese school. The dominant style of the gardens is Baroque, with the statues and mural decoration already following 19th century standards.
Vilhena Mesquita describes the access road to the palace as an «interesting avenue, along which we can see some works from the palette of Domingos António da Silva Meira, interspersed with the masonry of the brothers José and Joaquim Aleixo and the stonework of the master José Lopes and José Maria Paulino Fernandes, who support the lacy iron work of locksmith Joaquim José da Fonseca.». Entrance to the Palace through the gardens is through a monumental-looking portal, followed by a central street that runs along the various landscaped levels and agricultural production areas. This corridor is flanked by trees of exotic species, and decorated by several busts of illustrious figures in national history, such as António Feliciano de Castilho, Manuel Maria Barbosa du Bocage, Almeida Garrett and the Marquis of Pombal, with two statues originally placed to support lighting equipment, and which were made in the workshop of Ferdinand Fabri et Figlio, in Florence.
Next is the first landing, with a door surmounted by the coat of arms of the Carvalhal family, which gives access to the Sala da Cascata, idealized as a cold greenhouse. Inside is the sculpture known as the Three Graces, sculpted at the Androny Gallery in Pisa, and based on a sculpture by Antonio Canova, also called The Three Graces, which seeks to emulate models from the Renaissance period of the Birth of Venus. The walls are decorated with mosaics made in Genoa by the artist Marches Andrea. The upper floor is marked by a lake surrounded by a balustrade, which has in the center a sculpture in Carrara marble, known as the Fountain of Ossónoba, with statues of mermaids, from which water fountains flow. The supporting wall of the third floor, on the other side of the lake, is torn by three doors topped by round arches, giving access to a pavilion where a nativity scene is located, by the artist José Pedro da Cruz Leiria. Also noteworthy in this area is the decorative set in the corners where the stairs begin, with exquisite panels of polychrome tiles, surmounted by bas-reliefs alluding to the phases of dusk and dawn.
The third and last level is located next to the main volume of the palace, which is accessed by stairs, and can be considered as the formal garden. It has two lookouts, also known as tearooms, in the corners facing the second floor, decorated with various bucolic paintings by Francisco Sousa Alves, highlighting the drawings on the roof, simulating Swiss landscapes. Also of special interest are the tile panels in blue and white tones, by José Maria Pereira Junior, and the various busts of great personalities in politics and the arts, such as Luís Vaz de Camões, John Milton, Otto von Bismarck and Helmuth von Moltke , together with figures from classical mythology such as Jupiter, Venus and Diana. On the wall facing the palace are two sculptures in Carrara marble, made by Louis Samain (en) in 1800, representing shepherds from Piedmont, which stand out for their realism and beauty at an artistic level. On the east side of this level is a structure alluding to the Roman ruins of Milreu. On the opposite side of the building is another green space, the Jardim do Carrascal, which was the original entrance to the palace, and which was decorated with several statues, which were later removed. Another entrance to the gardens is located near Largo da Igreja.
History
Background
In the 18th century, the site where the palace stands was occupied by a garden area and a small residential building, which belonged to the Bishop of Faro. According to researcher Vilhena Mesquita, the Morgado de Estói was founded between 1750 and 1777 by field marshal Francisco José Moreira Pereira de Carvalhal Vasconcellos Brito Osório Batávias de Pereira Coutinho, whose income came mainly from the Morgado de Lagos. Francisco de Carvalhal Vasconcellos was part of the high nobility and had connections to the royal family, and he visited the National Palace of Queluz several times, which may have inspired him to build a palatial house on his land in Estoi, which he inherited in 1782.
Researcher Francisco Lameira argued, in his article Contributions to the study of 18th-century architecture in the Algarve: A Quinta de Estoi, published in 2005 in the magazine Monumentos, that in the early 19th century the names of Palácio de Estoi and Jardim de Estoi did not exactly correspond to the same property. Thus, in addition to the Garden, there was another property, Quinta de Estoi, whose works began between 1782 and 1783, under the responsibility of Mateus Vicente de Oliveira, who was also responsible for the National Palace of Queluz, which has some similarities with the Palace of Estói. This farm, which was the basis of the future palace, was described as «a farm with magnificent houses, a corresponding garden, different vegetable gardens and sowing land, regulating everything for magnificence and recreation with beautiful and famous streets joining the buildings with a walkway of excellent flights of stonework stairs, made from the entrances and porticoes of the streets with strong pillars». Vilhena de Mesquita took part in the construction of the farm in a context of major social and economic changes in the Algarve after the 1755 earthquake, with the progressive bourgeoisie of the old oligarchic cadres, more open to the new liberal ideologies, while the old noble families saw their power reduced, having retreated to its interior properties. At the same time, there was great economic development in the region, with an increase in fishing and agricultural production, driven by maritime transport to Lisbon and abroad. During the Napoleonic rule of Portugal, the estate hosted a reception for the French general Maurim, organized by Francisco de Carvalhal e Vasconcelos.
First works
The eldest son, Fernando José Moreira Osório de Brito Pereira de Carvalhal e Vasconcelos, worked at the Portuguese court, where he became acquainted with King Fernando II. Influenced by the famous Pena Palace, in Sintra, he idealized the transformation of his parents' property, in Estoi, into a palace surrounded by gardens. In this sense, on February 27, 1817, he acquired the land corresponding to Jardim de Estoi, through an exchange with Captain João José Freire, thus merging the two properties of Jardim and Quinta de Estoi into one. In 1823 he bequeathed his properties and social status to his son, Fernando de Carvalhal e Vasconcellos.
The works began in the 1840s, having been interrupted by the death of Fernando de Carvalhal e Vasconcellos, in 1847, leaving the property abandoned. The land then passed to his brother, the retired field marshal Luís Filipe do Carvalhal, who resumed work, thus starting the second phase of construction, which probably coincided with the installation of most of the buildings, and the coat of arms. at Cascade House. However, he died in 1861, before the palace was completed, and the property was inherited by his younger brother, José Maria Pereira do Carvalhal. As he had no descendants, the latter determined, on October 23, 1866, that the palace would remain for the enjoyment of his sisters, and after their death it should be sold, and the proceeds distributed to the poor and some of his friends. According to Vilhena Mesquita, this testament is an example of the process of extinction of the ancient Algarve nobility, either due to the lack of descendants or for financial reasons, caused by the economic changes that began in the 18th century, which led to the sale of large agricultural properties in the interior. Indeed, the will itself can be considered as proof of this situation, since it alludes to his ancestors as the original owners of the land: «I leave to my sisters the usufruct of all the assets that were bound by our grandparents and that I was the last administrator». Pereira do Carvalhal died on February 16, 1875, the property having passed to his sisters.
In 1880, the issue was dependent on the Lisbon orphanological court, at which time the first executor, Joaquim Teófilo Genez Pereira, was responsible for the property. Already at that time, the palace and gardens were recognized for their rich and exquisite decoration, maintaining with imposing statuary, a large lake with a waterfall, and several century-old trees. Also noteworthy was the chapel, with three altars, which had several oil paintings and sculptures inside. Subsequently, the land was sold at public auction, having been acquired by José Martins Caiado, João Pires and D. Maria do Carmo Mascarenhas, who were unable to prevent the progressive degradation of the property. Still during the 19th century, there was an attempt to create a company to set up a nursing home on the palace property, as Estói was much sought after by the sick, due to its mild climate and the purity of its waters. Had it gone ahead, this initiative would have contributed to the conservation of the palace and gardens, which at the beginning of the 1880s were in an advanced state of degradation, after several years of abandonment. The presence of a health establishment in Estoi was also conceived by the eminent physician José Tomás de Sousa Martins, who at the end of the century was in that locality and in São Brás de Alportel, investigating the possibility of building a sanatorium. The palace gardens began to be frequented by the inhabitants of Estoi at the end of the 19th century, having served as a public park for many years. In 2008 they were still open to the public, albeit on a conditioned basis.
The Palace of Estoi and its gardens were described by Júlio Lourenço Pinto in his work O Algarve (Impressionist notes), from 1894:
Among these accessories, at the entrance to the village, an elegant building emerges from a tuft of trees. And in the astonishment of coming across a building of such gentle architecture in such a rustic village, we set out eagerly in search of the enigmatic edification. Estoy's garden is now a ruin, but a beautiful ruin, still in magnificent condition in its former splendour. The unsuspecting outsider marvels at how in the heart of this village this almost princely jewel has come to be set, an aristocratic villa, a landscaped palace, so discordant with the modest mediocrity of the Algarve gardens. Of all this noble pomp, only ruins remain everywhere today. Ruin on the frontispiece of the elegant mansion, a carved facade in which all the sadness of its solitude and abandonment resumes; ruins in the grated portico and in the monumental exterior staircase, where statues were pompous, replaced today by the ivy that hangs in decorative festoons; ruins in the waterfalls and ornamental fountains, fed by springs that today water a lush vegetation, freely boasting in the savage impetus of a triumphal and jubilant emancipation of the old artifices of gardening. In front of these magnificent relics of a manor house, where, under the stimuli of a beneficent and creative climate, a luxuriant vegetation expands in all the natural freedom, irresistibly our thoughts take flight towards Zola's voluptuous Paradou, and the imagination takes pleasure in reproducing the scenes of that amorous epic, as if in our veins a shiver of that delirious passion infiltrated in the contact of the trees, to which the exalted lovers mysteriously welcomed themselves. — Pinto, Julio Lourenço. The Algarve (Impressionist notes), 1894, p. 113-114
Completion of the palace
In 1893 the then owners, José Martins Caiado, João Pires and Maria do Carmo Mascarenhas, sold the palace complex to José Francisco da Silva, who paid 5,446$23.4 Réis for the palace, the gardens and the farm. José Francisco da Silva was born in Estoi, and had established himself as a wealthy pharmacist and owner. Work began on restoring the palace and its gardens in January of that year, with the work being directed by the architect and decorator Domingos António da Silva Meira, who had gained notoriety for his decoration of several rooms in the Pena Palace, in Sintra. This intervention included the construction of the portal on Rua da Barrroca, the bell tower next to the chapel and a single-story building on the east side of the palace. In addition to the introduction of new elements, several parts of the palace that had been destroyed were also recovered. Several Portuguese and foreign artists participated in these works, including the sculptors of the Androny Gallery, in Pisa, the Genoese mosaic painter Marches Andrea, the tile painter Francisco Luís Alves, the artist José Pedro da Cruz Leiria, who was responsible for the work on the Crib , and the painters Bento Coelho da Silveira, Adolfo Greno, Maria Baretta, José Maria Pereira Junior, Domingos Costa and S. Ferreira. Several works of art were also commissioned in Portugal and in other countries, mainly in Italy. In addition to several contemporary items, paintings from the 17th century, naturalist canvases from the 19th century, and pieces of sacred art from the 17th and 18th centuries were also purchased.
In 1893 the then owners, José Martins Caiado, João Pires and Maria do Carmo Mascarenhas, sold the palace complex to José Francisco da Silva, who paid 5,446$23.4 Réis for the palace, the gardens and the farm. José Francisco da Silva was born in Estoi, and had established himself as a wealthy pharmacist and owner. Work began on restoring the palace and its gardens in January of that year, with the work being directed by the architect and decorator Domingos António da Silva Meira, who had gained notoriety for his decoration of several rooms in the Pena Palace, in Sintra. This intervention included the construction of the portal on Rua da Barrroca, the bell tower next to the chapel and a single-story building on the east side of the palace. In addition to the introduction of new elements, several parts of the palace that had been destroyed were also recovered. Several Portuguese and foreign artists participated in these works, including the sculptors of the Androny Gallery, in Pisa, the Genoese mosaic painter Marches Andrea, the tile painter Francisco Luís Alves, the artist José Pedro da Cruz Leiria, who was responsible for the work on the Crib , and the painters Bento Coelho da Silveira, Adolfo Greno, Maria Baretta, José Maria Pereira Junior, Domingos Costa and S. Ferreira. Several works of art were also commissioned in Portugal and in other countries, mainly in Italy. In addition to several contemporary items, paintings from the 17th century, naturalist canvases from the 19th century, and pieces of sacred art from the 17th and 18th centuries were also purchased.
The work ended at the end of April 1909, costing more than 9,000 Réis, a very high amount for the time. Due to his efforts to preserve one of the most important monuments in the Algarve, King Carlos I granted the title of Viscount of Estoi to José Francisco da Silva, who was then Civil Governor of Beja, by decree of the 4th or 9th of January de 1906. The inauguration of the palace and its gardens took place between the 1st and 3rd of May 1909, in a grandiose party organized with the support of the civil and religious authorities of the Council of Faro. The inauguration ceremony began with the blessing of the chapel and the bells by the prior of Estoi, António Francisco de Paula Mendonça, followed by a concert in Praça Ossónoba, by the philharmonic band Artistas de Minerva, from Loulé. During the afternoon, a civic parade was held from the palace gardens to Praça Ossónoba, where upon arrival the philharmonic band played the School Anthem, accompanied by the students in chorus. This was followed by a poetry reading by the students, and goods were distributed to those most in need. During the evening, the Philharmonic gave another concert in the square, which was lit up for this purpose. The festivities on the second day began at five o'clock in the morning, with a salute and a parade of the philharmonic through the streets of the village, and at around eleven o'clock Bishop António Barbosa Leão entered Estoi, who followed in a procession to the palace. At noon, mass was held in the chapel, during which the speaker Pedro Manuel Nogueira gave a speech. At 5 pm the procession began with origin and destination at the Igreja Matriz, with musical accompaniment by the two philharmonic bands from Loulé, followed by a Te Deum in the church. At eight o'clock in the evening, a dinner was organized in the corresponding room of the palace, which was illuminated, as were several squares and streets in Estoi. The celebrations on the second day ended with a fireworks show, with the participation of the famous pyrotechnic artist José de Castro, from Viana do Castelo. On the third day, only the opening of the gardens and the palace to the public was organized, with a great demand, with around five thousand entries.
In February 1913, the gardens were visited by a delegation of British journalists, as part of an excursion to Portugal, organized by the Sociedade de Propaganda de Portugal. In 1925, the documentary Uma Panorâmica do Algarve was shown in cinemas in Lisbon, which included images of various cultural and natural monuments in the region, including the gardens of the Palacio de Estoi.
Decline and abandonment of the palace
José Francisco da Silva died in 1926, single and without children, having determined in his will that the palace be sold, and its proceeds would be distributed to the most disadvantaged inhabitants of Estói. The property was acquired by her cousin and goddaughter, Ana Zeferino, who had only one daughter, Maria do Carmo Melo Assis Machado. She married António Duarte Assis Machado, to whose daughter, Maria da Luz Melo Assis Machado, the palace was passed. The successive owners paid more attention to the productive zone, neglecting the maintenance of the other parts, mainly the gardens, which entered a profound process of degradation. The abandonment began shortly after the death of José Francisco da Silva, as the newspaper O Algarve on April 1, 1928 reported that the clock tower was at risk of collapsing, which prevented the passage of the procession of the clock that year. Senhor Jesus dos Passos, who usually passed in front of the palace. Even so, on the 4th of August of that year it was used as the wedding venue between Maria Idília de Brito Mendonça and Eurico António Jardim de Carvalho. The property was completely abandoned after Maria da Luz Machado moved out of the region, following her marriage to António Bicker Correia Costa.
On October 21, 1950, the Diário Popular reported the state of disrepair the property was in, as part of a report on the Algarve region: «the extremely beautiful palace of Estoi, among half-abandoned gardens and orchards, stretching by overlapping platforms or terraces, with noble staircases, elegant balusters and graceful viewpoints». The property was put up for sale after the Revolution of April 25, 1974.
Classification and adaptation to the inn
The palace was classified as a Property of Public Interest by Decree 129/77, of 29 September. At that time, the property still belonged to Maria da Luz Machado.
In 1988, Vilhena de Mesquita criticized the state of disrepair in which the palace was found, and urged the Portuguese Institute of Cultural Heritage to proceed with its acquisition, since there were already foreign entities interested in buying it, which would prevent the its reuse as part of cultural interests. At that time, some suggestions had already been made for using the palace, including as a Museum of the History of the Algarve, with a specialized library, and as a national inn. Vilhena de Mesquita suggested that instead of being a guesthouse, the palace could be reused as an inn for artists and intellectuals with lesser resources, thus becoming a center for cultural dialogue, and that part of the complex and agricultural land could be turned into laboratories of the University of Algarve, where the cultivation of tropical species could be investigated, thus developing Algarve agriculture. In 1987 or 1988, the Palácio de Estói complex was purchased by the Municipality of Faro, for the sum of 140 million Escudos. After the takeover process, the gardens were opened to the public. Between 1992 and 1993, conservation work was carried out, which included restoring the nativity scene, the mural paintings, the chapel's dome, and the frescoes in the garden. These works continued in 1994, and in 1995 works were carried out to transform an official residence, and the electrical and telephone networks were installed. As it did not have the necessary funds for the maintenance and profitability of the property, the municipality proposed the reuse of the palace as an inn. Thus, in the mid-1990s, the conversion of the palace into a guesthouse by Enatur - Empresa Nacional de Turismo was already planned, with the transfer agreement for that company having been signed on June 23, 1999, and authorized by the Secretary of State for Public Works on August 4 of that year. That year, the palace complex was the target of new interventions, which included restoration works, the installation of equipment against fires, and the installation of the electrical network continued. The restoration work is of particular interest as it involved various typologies, such as gilded carving, stucco, paintings and furniture, in addition to the various civil works that were necessary.
The plan for transforming the Palace into an inn was drawn up by Gonçalo Byrne. Despite the large dimensions of the palace building, it proved too small for the installation of the inn, which was supposed to have sixty-four rooms. Thus, the garden platform was extended, on the west side of the palace, where a new structure was built to house the accommodation units, while the old building was used as a leisure and service space. The process for transforming the palace into a guest house began in 2003. In 2008, the municipality of Faro was planning the installation of a cultural park between the ruins of Milreu and the Palace of Estoi, which would be used to promote and preserve of the historical and natural heritage, and which would allow the use of the space between the two monuments for educational and leisure purposes. The rehabilitation works on the palace coincided with a program to restore the village of Estoi, within the scope of the candidacy for the historic center of the village to be classified as a Site of Municipal Interest. The inn opened to the public in April 2009, during the Easter period, and the palace and gardens were also reopened to the general public.
In February 2015, Grupo Pestana announced that Palácio de Estói would be one of three Portuguese inns to be integrated into Small Luxury Hotels of the World, an international chain of luxury hotels. In May 2016, the nativity set was at the Municipal Museum of Faro, where it had undergone a restoration process, with the expectation that it would return to the Estoi Palace after the end of the rehabilitation works. During the celebrations of the Day of the Municipality of Faro, on September 7, 2017, the south garden of the Palace of Estói was officially handed over to the municipality, after being the subject of restoration works by ENATUR. In July 2020, Pousada Palácio de Estói reopened after extensive restoration work, whose main purpose was to enhance the monumental appearance of the building. In this sense, the French-style halls were recovered, and old decorative elements were introduced, which were preserved in the Museum of Faro. Glass exhibitors were also placed in the halls, with various pieces that were discovered in the palace, such as a classic nativity scene. These works included relocating the reception to the former chapel, while the former space was now used as an exhibition area, with a museum centre, in cooperation with the Museum of Faro.
Gallery
