Museu Martins Sarmento
Archaeological museum of the Sociedade Martins Sarmento, housed since 1885 in the former Convento de São Domingos, with finds from the Citânia de Briteiros and the Castro de Sabroso.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The Museu Martins Sarmento grew out of an idea launched in 1884, during a lecture on the heritage of Guimarães, to gather the “archaeological treasures” of the municipality in the cloister of the former São Domingos monastery. The Sociedade Martins Sarmento, founded in 1881, then set up a depository of objects which, given the volume of donations, became the Museu Arqueológico e Numismático (Archaeological and Numismatic Museum) and opened on 9 March 1885.
The initial core was the collection gathered by Francisco Martins Sarmento during excavations at the Citânia de Briteiros and the Castro de Sabroso and in the surveys he carried out across the country. Over time, donations and bequests from private individuals were added, giving rise to small museums on various themes (industrial, colonial, regional, sacred art, art and ethnography). In 1937 all of them were brought together under the name Museu Martins Sarmento.
Today the collections are arranged in two areas: prehistoric and proto-historic industries, in the upper gallery of the Gothic cloister, and ancient epigraphy and sculpture, on the staircase, on the lower floor and in the garden. The permanent exhibition largely retains its original organisation and is therefore also a testimony to the museum practices of the late 19th century.
Highlights
- Votive cart from Vilela, one of the icons of the Iron Age
- Proto-historic pieces from the Citânia de Briteiros and the Castro de Sabroso
- Sculptures of Gallaecian warriors
- About two hundred pieces of ancient epigraphy and sculpture
- Gothic cloister of São Domingos
Permanent exhibition
- Exposição permanente de arqueologia – Collections of prehistoric and proto-historic archaeology in the Gothic cloister, and the section on ancient epigraphy and sculpture on the staircase, the lower floor and in the garden.
- Founded
- 1885
- Operated by
- Sociedade Martins Sarmento
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €4 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €2School visits, people over 65, young people up to 18, students up to 25 and holders of the Cartão Jovem youth card |
| Children & teens | €2free up to age 6 · Free admission for children up to 6 years old; for ages 7 to 18, the ticket costs €2. |
| Seniors | €2People over 65. |
| Students & apprentices | €2Students up to 25. |
| Combined ticket: Museu Arqueológico, Museu da Cultura Castreja and Citânia de Briteiros | €7 |
| Guided tour (by prior booking) | €25 |
Free admission: Residents of Portugal have free admission on Sundays, from 10:00 to 12:30.
Free admission also for former combatants, holders of the ICOMOS card and guides accredited by the Sociedade Martins Sarmento.
Accessibility
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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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Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Guided tours take place by prior booking (se@msarmento.org or +351 253 415 969). The Society's education service organises programmes for schools and other audiences. |
