Jardim Botânico de Coimbra: contraponto entre a Arte e a ... - artez
Jardim Botânico de Coimbra: contraponto entre a Arte e a ... - artez
Jardim Botânico de Coimbra: contraponto entre a Arte e a ... - artez
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“fazer uma imensa <strong>de</strong>speza em sucalcos uns<br />
acima dos outros, e ainda <strong>de</strong>pois <strong>de</strong> tudo<br />
isto ficaria sempre irregular”. Pon<strong>de</strong>rada<br />
como segunda possibilida<strong>de</strong> a ocupação da<br />
horta do Colégio, situada na Alegria, junto<br />
à <strong>de</strong>nominada Ínsua dos Bentos, concluiuse<br />
não ser igualmente viável “por ser muito<br />
apertado, ficar exposto ás inundações do<br />
Mon<strong>de</strong>go, necessitar tambem <strong>de</strong> gran<strong>de</strong>s<br />
sucalcos, e ficar longe da Universida<strong>de</strong>”.<br />
Finalmente, uma solução reuniu consenso:<br />
“a parte da mesma cêrca [dos monges beneditinos]<br />
que confronta <strong>de</strong> uma parte os<br />
Arcos da cida<strong>de</strong>, da outra com a estrada que<br />
vae para S. José dos Mariannos, e da outra<br />
com huma vinha dos ditos P. es Mariannos”.<br />
As vantagens <strong>de</strong> tal escolha residiam na<br />
proximida<strong>de</strong> da Universida<strong>de</strong> e dos Arcos,<br />
no fácil acesso a água através do Aqueduto<br />
do convento das freiras <strong>de</strong> Santa Ana e<br />
também na “circumstancia <strong>de</strong> ficar o <strong>Jardim</strong><br />
visinho a uma estrada, que indireitada e alinhada<br />
fórma hum bello e necessario passeio<br />
publico para recreação dos Estudantes” 6 .<br />
Num ofício <strong>de</strong> 2 <strong>de</strong> Março <strong>de</strong> 1773, acompanhado<br />
por uma provisão da mesma<br />
data, o marquês <strong>de</strong> Pombal elogiava o cuidado<br />
posto no exame do terreno <strong>de</strong>stinado<br />
ao dito estabelecimento, <strong>de</strong>terminando<br />
a compra do mesmo, bem como a sua<br />
<strong>de</strong>marcação. No espaço <strong>de</strong> meses, os professores<br />
italianos enviam para Lisboa uma<br />
sumptuosa planta para o <strong>Jardim</strong> <strong>Botânico</strong><br />
da Universida<strong>de</strong> <strong>de</strong> <strong>Coimbra</strong>. Trata-se, presumivelmente,<br />
do <strong>de</strong>senho a tinta-da-china<br />
e aguada sobre papel [2] que se encontra<br />
na biblioteca do Departamento <strong>de</strong> Botânica,<br />
sem data ou assinatura <strong>de</strong>vido à falha<br />
que apresenta na sua parte central supe-<br />
34<br />
terracing and is a long way from the University”.<br />
Finally, a consensus was reached. It was<br />
<strong>de</strong>ci<strong>de</strong>d to construct the gar<strong>de</strong>n in “that<br />
part of the same grounds [i.e. of the Benedictine<br />
college] that at one si<strong>de</strong> faces the<br />
city Aqueduct, at another faces the road<br />
that goes to S. José dos Mariannos, and<br />
at another a vineyard belonging to those<br />
Marian priests”. The advantages of this site<br />
lay in its proximity to the University and<br />
the Aqueduct, the easy access to water via<br />
the Aqueduct of the convent of Saint Anne,<br />
and also in the fact that "the Gar<strong>de</strong>n will be<br />
next to a road, forming a beautiful straight<br />
public promena<strong>de</strong> for the recreation of the<br />
Stu<strong>de</strong>nts” 6 .<br />
In an official letter of 2nd March 1773,<br />
accompanied by a writ of the same date, the<br />
Marquis praised the care taken in the examination<br />
of the land <strong>de</strong>stined for the Gar<strong>de</strong>n,<br />
and announced his <strong>de</strong>cision to purchase it<br />
and or<strong>de</strong>r its <strong>de</strong>marcation. Within months,<br />
the Italian professors had sent a sumptuous<br />
plant to Lisbon <strong>de</strong>stined for the Botanical<br />
Gar<strong>de</strong>n of the University of <strong>Coimbra</strong>.<br />
This is presumably what is represented in<br />
a Chinese ink and watercolour drawing on<br />
paper [2] in the Botany Department library,<br />
though unfortunately its date and signature<br />
are missing due to the fact that the part of<br />
the paper where this information would<br />
have been given, together with the key to<br />
the plan, is torn.<br />
The massive project for the Gar<strong>de</strong>n is<br />
remarkably similar to the undated “Sketch<br />
of the Botanical Gar<strong>de</strong>n for the University<br />
of <strong>Coimbra</strong>” [3] by Júlio Mattiazzi, published<br />
together with the other “Sketches<br />
for Works on the University of <strong>Coimbra</strong>” in<br />
1983 by the Machado <strong>de</strong> Castro National<br />
Museum. This project was probably prepared<br />
after the other, since it is somewhat<br />
simplified in relation to it. It contains fewer<br />
flowerbeds, fountains and sculptures, and<br />
the arboretum is laid out differently, in the<br />
form of a square subdivi<strong>de</strong>d into four.