Jardim Botânico de Coimbra: contraponto entre a Arte e a ... - artez

apelidado de “Linneo portuguez”, interessanos
sobretudo sublinhar o que a respeito do
Jardim conimbricense se discriminava. Em
relação às suas partes essenciais, Brotero
destacava: “eschola methodica” (E), confirmando
que “está feita com muros, varandas
e portas de ferro”; “Parterre – grupos sem
ordem scientifica, contribuindo para decoração
e conservação de muitas especies”
(P), acrescentando estar “quasi estabelecido
no plano superior á eschola”; “Estufa quente
e temperada” (T), estando feita a temperada;
“Abrigadouro” (A), “principiado ao
lado oriental da estufa temperada; “Logar
para sementeiras” (S), “começado do lado
dos arcos, sendo depois plantado com arvores
que exigiam abrigo”; “Lamedas e bosquetes”
(L), “1.º no terreno que fica entre a
rua principal e o muro ao longo da estrada
publica; 2.º nas encostas da collina contigua
aos muros das cercas dos Carmelitas e benedictinos;
3.º numa porção de terreno que
fica logo á entrada da porta septentrional”;
“Logar húmido e sombrio (a collina vizinha
á cerca dos frades bentos)” e, finalmente,
“depositos de agua” 14 . Quanto às partes
secundárias destacava a aula, o lugar de cultura
de plantas medicinais (M), a decoração
(adequada à natureza do local e às possibilidades
económicas) e as casas do professor,
do jardineiro e do guarda.
O minucioso exame que acabámos de
transcrever deixa transparecer não só o
pragmatismo do docente, mas também o
seu profundo conhecimento da realidade
do dito recinto. Contudo, os tempos que
se avizinhavam não viriam a permitir que
este relatório assumisse o carácter de programa
a levar à prática. Com efeito, aproximavam-se
as invasões francesas e, com
elas, todas as obras seriam interrompidas.
O último apontamento que temos do ano
de 1807, um plano do Jardim elaborado por
José do Couto [8], ficaria na gaveta e só seria
retomado após o fim da Guerra Peninsular.
Entretanto, Avelar Brotero partiria para
Lisboa para aí dirigir o Jardim Botânico da
tanks” 14 . As regards the secondary parts, he
indicated the classroom; the place for the
cultivation of medicinal plants (M); decoration
(suitable for the nature of the site and
economic possibilities) and the houses of
the professor, gardener and guard.
This careful examination reveals not only
the teacher’s pragmatism but also his profound
knowledge of the site itself. However,
in the coming years, it would not be possible
for this report to become a programme
to be put into practice. In fact, the French
invasions were at hand, and with them, all
building work was interrupted. The last
notes we have from the year 1807, a ground
plan of the Garden by José do Couto [8],
were shelved and would only be taken up
again at the end of the Peninsula War. In the
meantime, Avelar Brotero left for Lisbon to
run the Ajuda Botanical Gardens, retiring in
1811.
If there were any designs or plans dating
from the period of the French invasions,
they are not known. We do, however, have
the testimony of a contemporary witness
who allows us to imagine what the place
was like at that time. Laura Junot, duchess
of Abrantes and wife of the French ambassador
in Portugal, declared in 1808 that “the
Botanical Garden of Coimbra was considerably
better than the garden of the king
in Lisbon. Each plant had a plaque with its
classification number, like in the Paris ‘Plant
Garden’, which meant that the strange and
beautiful flora of Portugal could be properly
studied” 15 .
While the botanical merits of the Garden
were recognised, architecturally it had still
to be completed. Work was resumed on it
from 1814 under the direction of António
José das Neves e Mello. Between 1814 and
1821, the land was levelled between the central
and upper roads, and work went ahead
on the construction of the outer wall and
railings, with iron brought over from Stockholm
for this purpose. In 1822, the gate on
the side of the seminary was built.
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