Café de Santa Cruz (Coimbra) (*)-is the most beautiful coffee Portugal?
February 6, 2012 by Castile
Categories: Coimbra , Municipalities , District, Coimbra , More , All articles
Cafe Santa Cruz
The Santa Cruz Coffee corresponding to the former parish church of Santa Cruz, known as Church of St. John of Housewives or as the church of St. John of Santa Cruz, was detached to the cult years and was transformed into a cosmopolitan area and unique.
The church of St. John of Donas was almost contemporary to the founding of the Crosier Monastery as payment of the nuns of St. John Donas inmates of Santa Cruz. After his termination, was erected in its place the Church in 1530 by Diogo Castilho, the need to decongest the service at Church of the Monastery of Santa Cruz and not disturb the silence of the monks and used it for their exclusive use.
With the suppression of religious orders in 1834, the church of the old monastery once again assumes the role of the parish church. The church of S. John the Baptist of Santa Cruz will be in the care of the state.
After its desecration was serving other functions: hardware store, police station, plumbing store, funeral home, fire station ...
After much controversy and delayed about installing a cafe restaurant in "Manueline style, the church was adapted for coffee in Santa Cruz. The opening of luxury cafe restaurant in Santa Cruz takes place May 8, 1923. This date was chosen because it is located in the Plaza Cafe May 8 (Largo called Samson until the year 1874) which aims to honor the entrance to the liberal army in the city, commanded by the Duke of Terceira, in the year 1834.
The floor of the Café de Santa Cruz is now very alteado, the home was located at the same level of the neighboring church.
The building is beautifully vaulted now divided into three legs (as a church just two). The arch marks the division to what would have once been the chapel, also a domed-shaped star. The iconography used, and still visible today, is varied, lotus flower, lamb, sun, moon, acanthus leaves, among other typical Christian.
The facade primitive would be very simple with just a gate with three small openings at the top. When that reform of 1923, this is quite changed and after heated controversy with the present aspect is adopting a tone Renaissance revival, enlivened by a set of stained glass of very good taste. The interior now covered with wooden backs, is also the beginning of the twentieth century.
It is still visible a door adorned with a bow that could link to the "Chapel of the Martyrs" already located in the church of the Monastery of Santa Cruz.
The façade is the beginning of the 20th century revivalist and eclectic, with a touch of Art Nouveau.
The extraordinary Black Christ (***) of the thirteenth century, which is in the Museum Machado de Castro (***) and will soon open to the public, is from this space.
The light filtered through stained glass windows placed at the entrance, and ornamentation sober and noble, provide an environment conducive to meditation and urban decompression.
The Santa Cruz Coffee is used in social gatherings and many other cultural events, book releases, varied shows - fashion show, concerts, ballet, theater, etc..
The Café de Santa Cruz is one of the stopping places preferred by the tourists after their wanderings in historic Athens Lusa and feel in all its essence saying "who did not see Coimbra, he saw a beautiful thing," but they are not just those many the Conimbricenses, among whom I include myself who come here feel good.
