Monuments of Portugal

Monuments of Portugal is a compact, English-language guide that works both as an art-historical overview and as a curated itinerary through Portugal’s built heritage. Produced by the Secretariado Nacional de Informação (SNI) in Lisbon – an institution central to the Estado Novo’s (1933-1974) cultural diplomacy and tourism strategy in the mid-1940s – it was designed to give non-Portuguese readers a structured, authoritative introduction to the country’s “must-see” sites.

Across its main chapters, Luís Reis Santos sketches a concise history of Portugal while moving chronologically through architecture and monuments from Roman antiquity and medieval fortifications to monasteries, churches, palaces, and later public works. The tone is accessible but serious: the narrative is supported by frequent bibliographic references and footnotes that add context, dates, stylistic notes, and interpretive details – useful for readers who want more than a simple travel brochure. The final sections broaden its documentary value: a “for the convenience of non-Portuguese readers” list of Portuguese kings and queens (with dynasties and dates) and an extensive catalogue of classified national monuments and buildings of public interest (up to September 1940), followed by a photographic portfolio of fifty images showcasing major monuments in mainland Portugal.

The author is a key name in Portuguese art history. Luís Reis Santos (1898-1967) was an art historian and critic connected to the University of Coimbra and Portuguese museums, later serving as director of the Museu Nacional de Machado de Castro. His scholarship helped consolidate the study of Portuguese and Flemish painting of the 15th and 16th centuries – an expertise that underpins the book’s clear eye for stylistic detail and historical framing.

For today’s collector – or for anyone interested in heritage, history of art, and cultural tourism – this is a striking period piece: a portable “Portugal in monuments” written to persuade, inform, and inspire. If you’re looking for an English vintage guide to Portuguese monuments, Monuments of Portugal is an appealing, historically resonant choice.

• Encadernação: capa mole
• Ano: s/d [1945]
• Páginas: 208
• Dimensões: 17,1 x 12 cm