Museu da Horta

About the museum

The Museu da Horta was created in 1977, by regional regulatory decree, as an external service of the Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs. The former Jesuit College, an 18th-century building attached to the Igreja Matriz do Faial (parish church of Faial) and classified as a Regional Monument, was assigned to house it. It was later placed in the category of regional museum. The 2016 internal regulations established two museum units: the Jesuit College, which is the headquarters, and the Casa Manuel de Arriaga, open to the public since November 2011.

The museum brings together heterogeneous collections of a historical character, covering the 16th century to the present: ethnography, with objects and implements of old crafts and of traditional agricultural, flax, wool and ceramic technologies; technological objects linked to the history of the port of Horta and to the stations of the submarine cable that, between the 19th and 20th centuries, made Horta a communications centre of the North Atlantic; sacred art; fine arts; photographic, printed and manuscript documents; and natural history specimens.

The permanent exhibition in fig-tree pith stands out, a collection unique in the world, the work of a single author, Euclides Rosa, who has been part of the museum since 1980. The Casa Manuel de Arriaga, in an 18th-century building classified as a Property of Public Interest, was the home of the first President of the Portuguese Republic, elected in 1911, and hosts a long-term exhibition, temporary exhibitions, a library and a multipurpose room.

Highlights

• Permanent exhibition in fig-tree pith by Euclides Rosa, unique in the world
• Objects from the port of Horta and from the North Atlantic submarine cable stations
• Ethnography, sacred art, fine arts and natural history, from the 16th century to the present
• Housed in the former Jesuit College, a regional monument
• Casa Manuel de Arriaga, home of the first President of the Republic

Permanent exhibitions

• Exposição permanente de miolo de figueira – Collection unique in the world, the work of Euclides Rosa, on display in the museum since 1980.
• Casa Manuel de Arriaga – exposição de longa duração – Commemorates the first President of the Republic and republican ideals, with a film screening and access to digitised documentation.

Founded

1977

Operated by

Direção Regional da Cultura, Governo dos Açores

Admission & discounts

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Accessibility

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Kids & families

• Family tours & workshops

The museum's education service organises activities for schools and families.

Getting there & parking

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Amenities & dining

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Events & venue rental

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