Nossa Senhora Dos Remédios Park

The project for the Park of Nossa dos Remédios is dated March 11, 1876 and was signed by the French architect A. Vaillaut. The memorandum deals mainly with the structure of the space and is silent on the trees that should decorate it. Among several proposals was a suggestion that was never realized: the placement of a large statue of Nossa Senhora Dos Remédios on the highest peak of the Tower. This image would shine over the city through a lighthouse at its feet. It should be remembered that, at this time, there were still no towers on the Sanctuary. The architect was therefore thinking of the tower that existed next to the Chaplain's House, now the Hotel Parque. But he could also have had in mind the first tower that was to be built in 1880. However, it took more than twenty years for the project to come to fruition. It was, in fact, on March 22, 1898 that the Brotherhood (represented by Judge António Pinto Aires de Lemos) signed a contract with the Real Companhia Hortícola Portuense (present in the person of its director Jerónimo Monteiro da Costa). At that time, the construction of the Central Career Lake and the São João Grotto was already planned. The total price of the forest was estimated at ten contos de réis, paid back in twenty installments, due on September 30th of each year. Work began on April 4th, but was suspended on July 2nd. The Civil Government's approval was still lacking. Work didn't start again until April 3rd of the following year and was marked by a number of mishaps. The first planting was destroyed by cattle and vandalism. The chaplain asked for the planting of trees near his home to be stopped. He claimed that he needed the land to grow vegetables and other products he needed to support himself. As if that wasn't enough, there were several disagreements between the Brotherhood and the Companhia Hortícola Portuense. The Gruta da Carreira Central, which was supposed to be finished by the 1898 festivities, was only inaugurated in October 1899. At that time, the afforestation was still underway and would only be completed in February 1901. Even then, the Brotherhood believed that "within a few years, the forest would certainly be the first in the country". This entire park, covering an area of 187,000 square meters, is classified - along with the Sanctuary and the Staircase - as a "building of public interest".