OFFICE DE TOURISME ILHAVO

Ten centuries ago, the Ria de Aveiro lagoon didn't exist, and where Gafanha da Nazaré is today, there was only the sea.

Over time, with the deposition of sand from the rivers of the Vouga watershed and the resulting coastal dune belt, the salt lagoon known as Ria de Aveiro lagune was formed and, gradually, the deserted sand that had, meanwhile, been stabilized, was occupied, mainly by populations to the south of Ílhavo (Vagos and Mira), dedicated to fishing and agricultural activities.

In a later phase, populations from the northern Beiras and Minho also began to settle here, devoting themselves to harbor work, lighthouse construction, shipbuilding, work in the cod-drying areas, in the salt marshes and, of course, fishing (long-distance, coastal and lagoon fishing).

Today, Gafanha da Nazaré is a thriving port and industrial town, integrating the municipality of Ílhavo, particularly in the agri-food industry based on North Atlantic fishing. It is home to the port of Aveiro, the largest in central Portugal, and the entire fishing support structure, from the Lota to the cod processing warehouses, distributed via the various fishing ports ("bacalhoeiro", "pesca costeira" and various piers to support artisanal fishing activity) and also a major infrastructure to support exports by sea, the rest of the industries installed in the municipality and the region.

Created over eight decades ago, the Ílhavo Maritime Museum tells the story of the Portuguese who fished for cod on the frozen coasts of Canada and Greenland. Live cod is not forgotten, and can be admired in a 120m3 aquarium that children love. Fishing in the lagoon, among other agrarian activities of the Ria de Aveiro lagoon and its inhabitants, are other stories we can learn here too.

The largest collection of shellfish in the country, as well as a collection of seaweed and a vast collection of art, are available for all to discover.

The museum's current building is itself a work of public art, winning several international awards, and has even been considered one of the twenty most spectacular museums of the 21st century by the editors of architecture magazine ArchDaily.

Part of the Portuguese Museum Network, it also includes the Center for Maritime Research and Entrepreneurship (CIEMar Ílhavo), the museum ship Santo André (anchored in Gafanha da Nazaré) and the Maritime Religious Center.

The imposing sculpture "O Homem do Gabão", by Euclides Vaz, sets the tone... Testimonies to the faith of sailors and their families, such as "ex-votos" (paintings or musical scores offered to keep promises of salvation from shipwrecks), have pride of place here, as does an understanding of the Portuguese maritime vocation in its relationship with the Sacred, as well as religious vestments and other goods and objets d'art of the Catholic Church.

The Maritime Religious Center is part of the Ílhavo Maritime Museum, where you can discover a precious symbolic collection that has been preserved for years, mainly in the Ílhavo parish.

Inaugurated on March 24, 2008, the current Casa Cultura, formerly Centro Cultural de Ílhavo, occupies an imposing, modern and bold building, a project signed by architect Ilídio Ramos, overlooking Avenida 25 de Abril, the main avenue in the city of Ílhavo. The glass building is reminiscent of traditional beach cabins, and is marked by architectural audacity. Its magnificence reflects the fact that it is the heart of Ilhavense culture, hosting the best national and international artists in a wide range of cultural events, from theater to musical concerts.

The Vista Alegre chapel, dedicated to Our Lady of Penha de França, is strongly associated with the history of the porcelain factory established on this site, but precedes it by around a century. The chapel dates from the late 17th century (1632-1699) and the factory from the early 19th century (1824).

The chapel was built by D. Manuel de Moura Manuel, bishop of Miranda (do Douro), deputy of the General Council of the Holy Office and dean of the University of Coimbra (between 1683 and 1690), whose tomb, like the chapel, is a National Monument. The bishop often spent a few days, and sometimes months, at Quinta da Ermida, near Vista Alegre, which belonged to his elder brother Ruy de Moura Manoel. During his stay, he established ties with the owner of the Vista Alegre farm, Dr. Manoel Furtado Botelho, ties that grew ever closer to the point where D. Manuel had the chapel built on land belonging to the same farm.

This "Mannerist" church features a series of Baroque or proto-Baroque elements on the façade. The interior features a set of tiles (attributed to Gabriel del Barco) and, in the vault, one of the largest and most perfect Jesse trees known in Europe. In the chapel, also featuring a frescoed vault (depicting the Assumption of the Virgin) and earthenware panels, stands out the main altarpiece, in finely inlaid marble.

The Baroque tomb, created by Claude Laprade, "reveals the figure of the bishop, on his deathbed, standing before the vision of Our Lady of Penha de França. At the feet of the deceased are two phoenixes and an angel bearing a skull. The Tempo, a winged figure of a certain age, dominates the upper part (...)" (XAVIER, 1991). All the symbols and allegories of the period used in this singular, macabre tomb revolve around the idea of resurrection and eternal life.

Inaugurated in 1964 and representing a project developed since the founding of the Vista Alegre factory (1824), the museum, which benefited from a profound expansion and requalification in 2016-17, is intended to promote appreciation and interpretation of the factory's industrial heritage, as well as the historical journey of its working community. It includes collections of porcelain, glass, industrial equipment and technical utensils, drawings, photographs, as well as documentary collections, the Palácio da Vista Alegre, the chapel of Our Lady of Penha de França and social institutions. On working days, the museum includes a tour of the company's hand-painting workshop.

In 2017, the Portuguese Museology Association awarded it an honorable mention for "Best Portuguese Museum", as well as prizes for "Cultural Merchandising" and "Museology Work".

Departing from the museum, it is also possible to visit the chapel of Our Lady of Penha de França and the tomb of D. Manuel de Moura Manuel, both national monuments, as well as the Tree of Jesse painted on the chapel ceiling, one of the largest and most perfect known in Europe.

During guided tours or on your own initiative, starting in the factory square, the social epicenter of Vista Alegre's activity, discover what the factory's residential program was, which began in 1824, as well as the structure and functions of each street, the inspiring bucolic atmosphere of the place, the location of community service facilities and also the various cultural, recreational and educational activities that this magical place, since its beginnings, has taken care to make available to this truly artistic community.