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U.Porto Memory

University of Porto Famous Alumni

Baltazar Castro

Baltazar Castro 1891-1967 Architect and restorer

Baltazar da Silva Castro was born in Painzela, Cabeceiras de Basto, on 1 May 1891 to a family of small land owners. Despite their low social background, his parents, José Joaquim da Silva Castro and Ana da Silva Ramalho de Castro, invested in the future of his son, who, at the age of 25, completed the courses in Industrial Engineering, Architecture, Civil Construction, Historical Drawing and the 4th year of Monumental Sculpture at the Industrial Institute and Porto School of Fine Arts (1906-1919).

In 1919, Baltazar started a career as a civil servant when he was appointed to the post of head of Public Works at the Directorate of Public Works of the Porto district. From there, he moved in May 1921 to the Administration of Buildings and National Monuments of the North. Years later, in 1927, he was appointed architect and placed in the Directorate-general of Fine Arts (3rd Department-National Monuments and Palaces, North Office).

In 1929, Baltazar was transferred to the Directorate of Monuments of the North, the body of a newly created General-Directorate of Buildings and National Monuments (DGEMN) and in the following year, as a 3rd class architect, he was appointed interim director of the Monuments of North. Four years later, his superior Gomes da Silva proposed that he be promoted to 2nd class architect, and 1st class architect at the same time.

In 1936, he settled in Lisbon to assume the position of Director of Monuments, and in 1947, following the reorganization of the DGEMN, he was appointed Director of the Department of Monuments. He occupied this post for a short time only since in December of that year he definitely abandoned the DGEMN to become Chief Inspector of Public Works.

During the long period of time he worked in DGEMN, Baltazar travelled often abroad on state and study missions. In 1931, he visited five European countries. In 1934, he travelled to Spain, where he had already been, to learn more about Visigoth architecture, so he could better restore the pre-Romanesque churches of S. Pedro de Lourosa, S. Frutuoso de Montélios and S. Pedro de Balsemão.
In 1938, as a fellow of the Institute for Advanced Culture, he again travelled across Europe to learn more about military architecture and apply this knowledge to the restoration of charismatic national castles, one of the highlights of the programme of the 100th anniversary celebrations (1940). Ten years later, he participated in the International Congress of Lausanne.

This architect, although focused on restoration works, also produced architecture plans along with colleague Rogério de Azevedo (1898-1983), with whom he planned the Edifício do Comércio of Porto and the reformation and ampliation of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Porto, two buildings located in the historic city centre.

After leaving the DGEMN, Baltazar moved to an estate in Oliveira, Póvoa de Lanhoso, where he died in 1967.

Baltazar Castro became an officer of the orders of Saint James and of Christ, and went down in Portuguese history as one of the major monument restorers of the 20th century, and as one of the key players in the activity of DGEMN. Among many works, he was responsible for numerous restoration works of Romanesque monuments in Entre-Douro-e-Minho, since 1927.

He was married to Mariana Amélia de Abreu, with whom he had 4 children, one of which – Celestino Joaquim de Abreu, became na architec.
(Universidade Digital / Gestão de Informação, 2011)