Photo: Retogenes · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Museu Nacional Frei Manuel do Cenáculo

National museum in the centre of Évora, arising from the collection of Frei Manuel do Cenáculo, with Flemish and Portuguese painting, sculpture, goldsmith work and archaeology.

Opening hoursAdmission €10

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About the museum

The museum occupies a privileged location in the historic centre of Évora, a World Heritage City, and has its origins in the collection of Frei Manuel do Cenáculo (1724–1814), an influential intellectual of the Pombaline period, art collector and one of the pioneers of archaeology in Portugal. In 2017 it was promoted to national museum, recognising the value of its holdings.

The holdings number about twenty thousand pieces. The painting collection makes it possible to trace the history of early Portuguese painting, from the “Virgin with Child” (c. 1410) by Álvaro Pires de Évora to works by Gregório Lopes and Diogo de Contreiras, and by Luso-Flemish painters such as Francisco Henriques and Frei Carlos. The Flemish Altarpiece (c. 1500) is the largest and one of the most important sets of Flemish painting in Portugal, and the Triptych of the Passion of Christ, in enamel, is a 16th-century work by Nardon Pénicaud.

In sculpture, elements of architecture from the city's monuments stand out, along with important examples of funerary sculpture from the 14th to the 18th centuries, including works attributed to Nicolau de Chanterene and the tomb of Fernão Gonçalves Cogominho (c. 1364). The collections also include goldsmith work, numismatics, naturalia and archaeology, as well as the Leonor Pina collection, with the holdings from the Anta Grande do Zambujeiro and finds from other dolmens in the municipality of Évora.

Since 1917 the museum has had as an annex the Church of Nossa Senhora das Mercês, a 17th-century building that once housed the decorative arts section and is currently closed for conservation reasons.

Highlights

Flemish Altarpiece (c. 1500), the largest set of Flemish painting in Portugal
Triptych of the Passion of Christ, in enamel, by Nardon Pénicaud
Early Portuguese painting, from Álvaro Pires de Évora to Gregório Lopes and Diogo de Contreiras
Funerary sculpture, including the tomb of Fernão Gonçalves Cogominho
Holdings from the Anta Grande do Zambujeiro (Leonor Pina collection)

Permanent exhibition

Coleções permanentes – Painting, sculpture, goldsmith work, numismatics, naturalia and archaeology, with particular emphasis on the Flemish Altarpiece and the Triptych of the Passion of Christ.

Operated by: Museus e Monumentos de Portugal, E.P.E.
Director: Sandra Leandro
Visitors per year: approx. 18,249

Admission & discounts

Adults	€10
Reduced	€5Visitors aged 65 or over, young people aged 13 to 24 and families with at least one adult and one child: 50% discount.
Children & teens	freefree up to age 12 · Free admission up to and including age 12.
Seniors	€5Visitors aged 65 or over: 50% discount.
Visitors with disabilities	freecompanion free · Visitors with a disability and one companion: free admission.
Students & apprentices	€5Young people aged 13 to 24: 50% discount; teachers and students on a previously requested study visit: free admission.
Families	–Families with at least one adult and one child: 50% discount on the standard ticket.

Free admission: Residents of Portugal: free access up to 52 days a year, on any day of the week, upon presentation of the Cartão de Cidadão at the ticket office (“Acesso 52” scheme of Museus e Monumentos de Portugal).

Standard ticket: €10; tickets are also available online. Free admission also for unemployed residents of the European Union, researchers and museum professionals on duty, former combatants, accredited tourism and media professionals, and members of ICOM, ICOMOS and APOM; free admission requires proof at the ticket office.