The Livros de Cordeamentos relevance in the study of Lisbon architecture – The case of the Sanches de Brito Palace

Abstract

The study of the built city universe passes, inevitably, through a detailed analysis of the various archival cores, whether they're in Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo or other State archives and, above all, those which remain in the Arquivo Municipal de Lisboa custody. It is in this latter collection that the Livros de Cordeamentos stand out, whose use by scholars has not always been performed systematically. However, they are a valuable source of information, in particular for recording the requirements to the Senate Chamber for the execution of works, which were later informed with orders and construction details of the utmost importance for the accurate knowledge of the exact time and details of works programs. In the case that here arises - the Sanches de Brito Palace, by the Campo de Sant ' Ana - the application, dated from 1748, allows, undoubtedly, to date the construction of the actual building , whose particular history was entangled in registries graved in the nineteenth century on an existing plate inside.