Domus Municipalis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Domus Municipalis | |
|---|---|
Antigos Paços Municipais de Bragança | |
 The stonework of the Domus Municipalis, located along one of the walls of the Castle of Bragança | |
 Interactive map of the Domus Municipalis area | |
| General information | |
| Type | Municipal hall |
| Architectural style | Romanesque |
| Location | Santa Maria,  Portugal |
| Coordinates | 41°48′12.81″N 6°44′55.96″W / 41.8035583°N 6.7488778°W |
| Opened | fl. 1250 |
| Owner | Portuguese Republic |
| Technical details | |
| Material | Granite |
The Domus Municipalis (Latin: municipal house) is a Romanesque building in the northeastern municipality of Bragança in Portugal. The exact function of this building, even after research completed in the 20th century, is still largely unknown: it could have served as cistern, but there are doubts if this was its primary function.
A singular (enigmatic) building of Romanesque civic architecture, it is an eloquent extension of the medieval prison tower that it juxtaposes.[1] Its construction was, most likely, in the first half of the 13th century, coinciding with the foundation of the cistern.[1][2]
In 1501, in the published writings of the Abbot of Baçal, the author referred to the local record of Martim Anes, who spoke of the construction of the Domus during his lifetime.[2] In this account, Martin Anes stated that it was used as a meeting place for the "good men" of the municipality. By 1503, the Domus was remodelled to partition the hall into two divisions to formalize its use as municipal hall.[2]
Its designation, Domus Municipalis, actually dates back to the 19th century.[1][2]
Although the building was classified by the Instituto Português do Património Arquitectónico (IPPAR) as a National Monument in 1910, by 1912, the building was in a state of degradation, without appropriate roof and used by squatters and the poor as shelter.[2] Restoration of the building was completed in 1936 by the Direcção-Geral dos Edifícios e Monumentos Nacionais (English: General-Directorate for Buildings and National Monuments), or DGEMN (which evolved to become the Instituto de Gestão do Património Arquitectónico e Arqueológico (IGESPAR)).[2] Similar restorations were undertaken in 1959 by the Serviços dos Monumentos Nacionais (English: National Monument Services), before being taken over on 1 June 1992 by the IPPAR by decree 106F/92.[2]
