Two pieces from the collection of the Fernando de Castro House-Museum, which is part of the Soares dos Reis National Museum, are part of the temporary exhibition VITA PRIMA. SANTO ANTÓNIO IN PORTUGAL, which opens on June 23rd at Palácio Pimenta, in Lisbon. The polychrome clay sculpture The Martyrs of Morocco, a piece that narrates the martyrdom of the five Franciscan friars at the hands of Moorish soldiers, and the painting Five Franciscan Friars, possibly from the 17th century, relating to the mission to evangelize other territories.
The pieces are included in the exhibition, which presents itself as a journey through the life of Santo António as a young man and reflects how the values associated with him, sacred and profane, became pillars of Lisbon’s identity. The life of Fernando de Bulhões, before adopting the name Santo António, began at the Cathedral of Lisbon, passed through the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora, where he became a monk, and continued at the Monastery of Santa Cruz de Coimbra. The death of the five Martyrs of Morocco, an episode that occurred in January 1220, made him embrace the mendicant cause and set out to evangelize Morocco.
The exhibition is open until December 31, 2023.