Lamego Museum

The Museu de Lamego occupies the former Episcopal Palace (Paço Episcopal) in the historic centre of Lamego, on Largo de Camões. The building was rebuilt in the second half of the 18th century under Bishop D. Manuel de Vasconcelos Pereira, and today it houses one of the Douro's most significant collections of sacred art and decorative arts.

Current status (September 2026): according to the museum's official website and the Museus e Monumentos portal, the museum is closed to the public for renovation works under the PRR (Recovery and Resilience Plan), since 24 May 2025. None of the pages consulted gives a reopening date, so check the museum's own channels before planning a visit.

History and building

After the law separating Church and State, the municipality set up an art museum in 1911 using episcopal holdings; the institution was recognised in 1917 and inaugurated on 21 May 1918, according to Wikipedia. It occupies the palace of the bishops of Lamego, with a collection the official source describes as spanning works from the 1st to the 20th century.

The collection

In 2006 four groups of objects in the museum were classified as National Treasures:

• a medieval sarcophagus with a hunting scene in relief;
• the panels by Vasco Fernandes (Grão Vasco) painted for the Sé Catedral de Lamego, between 1506 and 1511;
• Flemish tapestries of the early 16th century, woven in Brussels;
• 17th-century tile panels with pastoral and hunting scenes.

The holdings also include sculpture, metalwork, vestments, ceramics, furniture, engravings and photography.

Contact

Address: Largo de Camões, 5100-147 Lamego. Telephone: +351 254 600 230. To find out when the museum reopens, see the official website (museudelamego.gov.pt) and the museum's social media. In the same town you can also visit the Castelo de Lamego.