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

tado ao rei em 1771, pela Junta de Providência
Literária, encarregue em 1770 de analisar
as causas da decadência da Universidade e
apontar os meios para a sua reestruturação.
A par da profunda reformulação das faculdades
existentes – Teologia, Cânones, Leis e
Medicina –, era extinta a das Artes e criadas
a de Matemática e a de Filosofia, ocupandose
esta das Ciências da Natureza. Previa-se
ainda a construção de diversos equipamentos:
o hospital escolar, o teatro anatómico, o
dispensatório farmacêutico (anexos à Faculdade
de Medicina); o observa tório astronómico
(dependente da Faculdade de Matemática);
e os gabinetes de História Natural
e de Física Experimental, o Laboratório
Químico e o Jardim Botânico (agregados à
Faculdade de Filosofia).
Com o propósito de complementar o Gabinete
de História Natural, os Estatutos preconizavam
a indispensabilidade de um jardim
botânico, ditando, desde logo, os objectivos
a que este espaço deveria obedecer:
“Ainda que no Gabinete de Historia Natural
se incluem as Producções do Reino Vegetal;
como porém não podem ver-se nelle as
Plantas, senão nos seus Cadaveres, secos,
macerados, e embalsamados; será necessario
para complemento da mesma Historia o
Estabelecimento de hum Jardim Botanico,
no qual se mostrem as Plantas vivas. Pelo
que: No lugar, que se achar mais proprio, e
competente nas vizinhanças da Universidade,
se establecerá logo o dito Jardim: Para
que nelle se cultive todo o genero de Plantas;
e particularmente aquellas, das quaes se
conhecer, ou se esperar algum prestimo na
Medicina, e nas outras Artes; havendo o cuidado,
e providencia necessaria, para se ajuntarem
as Plantas dos meus Dominios Ultramarinos,
os quaes tem riquezas immensas,
no que pertence ao Reino Vegetal.” 2
No sentido de levar à prática os Estatutos
definidos, Sebastião José de Carvalho e
Melo escreve uma carta, a 7 de Novembro
de 1772, dirigida a D. Francisco de Lemos
de Faria Pereira Coutinho, reitor da Uni-
32
which it could be restructured). With these,
the existing faculties (Theology, Canon Law,
Law and Medicine) were radically restructured,
the Faculty of Arts was extinguished
and new faculties of Mathematics and Philosophy
were created, the last of which was
to concern itself with the Natural Sciences.
The construction of other facilities was also
envisaged, including a teaching hospital,
anatomical theatre, pharmaceutical dispensary
(attached to the Faculty of Medicine),
astronomical observatory (subordinated
to the Faculty of Mathematics), and, within
the Faculty of Philosophy, offices of Natural
History and Experimental Physics, a Chemistry
Laboratory and the Botanical Garden.
The Statutes emphasised the importance
of the Botanical Garden as a complement
to the Natural History Office, and set forth
its aims as follows: “Although the Office of
Natural History contains examples from
the vegetable kingdom, the plants included
therein are no better than corpses, dried,
macerated and embalmed. A Botanical
Garden is thus a necessary complement to
that History, in order to display living plants.
Hence, such a garden shall be established
in an appropriate place in the neighbourhood
of the University, where all manner of
plants shall be cultivated, particularly those
that are known or hoped to offer some benefits
to Medicine and other arts. Plants shall
be collected there from my overseas territories,
which are immensely rich as regards
the vegetable kingdom.” 2
The first step towards putting the Statutes
into practice was taken by Sebastião
José de Carvalho e Melo, the Marquis de
Pombal, in a letter dated 7th November
1772 addressed to D. Francisco de Lemos de
Faria Pereira Coutinho, rector of the University
and main executor of the reform. The
letter was accompanied by a list of specifications,
in which a section of the grounds
of the St Bento College was indicated as the
most suitable site for the Botanical Garden.
This opinion was corroborated by Domen-