Museu da Casa do Arco
Museum in Vila de Frades, in the Casa do Arco, dedicated to the Roman villa of São Cucufate; currently closed for refurbishment.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Casa do Arco, in Vila de Frades, was originally a men's prison, which explains the bars on the windows of the lower floor. Until the mid-19th century it was home to a wealthy Alentejo family, the Souto Maior. Between 1935 and 1937 a delegation of the Mocidade Portuguesa (the youth organisation of the Estado Novo dictatorship) operated there and, until the 1950s, the building was rented to a local recreational society.
The Câmara Municipal da Vidigueira handed the house over to the Ministry of Culture, which installed the permanent exhibition “A villa de S. Cucufate” (The Villa of S. Cucufate) there. The exhibition brings together the most representative materials recovered in the excavations of the São Cucufate archaeological site, organised by themes corresponding to the everyday activities of a Roman farming estate. The house also has a small multipurpose room, used as an auditorium or for temporary exhibitions.
The space is managed jointly by the Direção Regional de Cultura do Alentejo (Regional Directorate of Culture of Alentejo), the Câmara Municipal da Vidigueira and the Junta de Freguesia de Vila de Frades (parish council). According to the parish's website, the museum is currently closed for refurbishment.
Highlights
- Exhibition “A villa de S. Cucufate”
- Materials from the excavations of the Roman villa of São Cucufate
- Building that was once a prison and a manor house
- Multipurpose room for temporary exhibitions
Permanent exhibition
- A villa de S. Cucufate – The most representative finds from the São Cucufate excavations, organised by themes from the everyday life of a Roman farming estate.
- Operated by
- Direção Regional de Cultura do Alentejo, Município da Vidigueira e Junta de Freguesia de Vila de Frades
Admission & discounts
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Kids & families
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Getting there & parking
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Amenities & dining
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Events & venue rental
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