The city of Abrantes is a significant point, both materially and historically, within a larger geographical area. This importance stems from its geo-strategic location, resulting from a promontory situated at the geometric center of the territory, delimited by geopolitical conventions and located at the transition between two landscapes of different morphologies.
Abrantes has always functioned as a point of observation and reference, serving as a fortified outpost and an obligatory route, whether in times of peace or conflict. On this fundamental terrain, human presence established its location, intrinsically linked to the surrounding environment.
The Castle, being the initial nucleus of the city, occupied the primary position, dominating the curve of the Tagus River that surrounds the promontory. The castle walls extended to organize civil and religious life, following the valleys and descending towards the river. Near the river, on the alluvial plain, the first religious communities emerged, close to the movement of work and commerce, but vulnerable to seasonal flooding risks from the Tagus.
Due to poor sanitary conditions and the occurrence of plagues, religious orders were forced to leave the plain in search of greater topographical safety, settling on the outskirts of the city. These new installations appeared at the extremes of the urban axes, which were previously centered on the Castle and the two parishes.
The Dominican Convent of São Domingos was established on the Rossio plateau, outside the walls (current Republic Square). This 16th-century building sat on a section of Vauban-style wall, atop a steep slope on the southern end of the promontory where Abrantes is located. After losing its monastic function, the convent was used by military personnel and students, and its church was converted into a public library, while most of the other spaces were ceded to the Polytechnic Institute of Tomar.
Currently, the convent houses the MIAA - Iberian Museum of Archaeology and Art of Abrantes, which occupies the wings not used by the library. The MIAA project is based on the understanding that construction in the territory is part of it, being simultaneously an external object and a record of events and periods that shape the landscape.
Starting from a dialectic aimed at clarifying the built complex, the project considers the programmatic and logistical requirements necessary to create museological conditions in a historical building that required care. The objective was to find a solution that highlighted the heritage value, resuming an organization that referred to the original spatial arrangement.
The convent's spaces, arranged around the original cloister, revealed unexpected architectural quality and flexibility after the removal of cells by previous occupants. This reinforced the need for the restoration, rehabilitation, and infrastructure of the building to be guided by formal sobriety and functional occupation adapted to the structural and spatial characteristics of the complex.
The ground floor of the convent was mainly dedicated to technical services and support for the museum's operation. On the first floor, exhibition spaces are distributed for specific collections and funds deposited at the Abrantes City Council.
The heritage assessment of the building allowed for the recovery, in a practical and surprisingly advantageous way in terms of architectural quality and functional flexibility, of the original concept of the Dominican Convent. Thus, the MIAA subtly assumes a new centrality in the city of Abrantes, located on top of the hill.
