Museu de Alberto Sampaio

In the heart of the historic centre of Guimarães, the Museu de Alberto Sampaio occupies the former collegiate church of Nossa Senhora da Oliveira and the surrounding monastic buildings. Its collections of sacred art, goldsmithery and sculpture make it one of the finest small museums in Portugal.

A museum in a collegiate church

The museum was created in 1928 and named after the historian Alberto Sampaio, a native of Guimarães. Installed in the medieval buildings of the Colegiada de Nossa Senhora da Oliveira, it preserves the memory of the town’s role in the foundation of Portugal and in the great events of the fourteenth century.

What to see

• The tunic attributed to King João I, said to have been worn at the Battle of Aljubarrota.
• Religious goldsmithery, including crosses, reliquaries and liturgical silver.
• Sculpture and painting from the fourteenth to the eighteenth centuries.
• The Romanesque cloister and the museum’s quiet courtyards.

Visiting the museum

The museum is in the historic centre of Guimarães, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Opening hours are published on the official page, so check before your visit.

Visitor information: museusemonumentos.pt.

Image credit: Museu de Alberto Sampaio, Guimarães, by Krzysztof Golik, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. The castle of Guimarães, the cradle of the nation, stands a short walk away.