A “great book” to present five UNESCO World Heritage Jewels

The work features five crucial UC spaces.

MC
Marta Costa
AB
Ana Bartolomeu
23 march, 2023≈ 4 min read

© UC l Ana Bartolomeu

English version: Diana Taborda

The celebrations of the 10th anniversary of the classification of the University of Coimbra - Alta and Sofia as a UNESCO World Heritage Site have officially begun, with the presentation of the book “Cinco Joias de Coimbra: Património Mundial da Humanidade”|"Five Jewels of Coimbra: World Heritage", coordinated by João Gouveia Monteiro and Maria Leonor Cruz Pontes, and published by the Coimbra University Press.

The book was not meant to be "a basic recap of what is already known about the spaces, it is a book that has a fair balance between what is classic and innovative, between what is didactic and scientifically rigorous". The director of the General Library of the UC and coordinator of the work, João Gouveia Monteiro, explains that the aim of the book is to provide a journey for the reader, from those who "know very little or nothing and visit the University for the first time to those who already know a little more and, without losing the didactic feature, add something new. We didn't want a big book, we wanted a great book", he states.

During the launch ceremony, the President of RUAS Association and Deputy Mayor of Coimbra, Francisco Veiga, assured that the work presents, "in a simple and accessible language, the heritage that we had the privilege to inherit. We couldn't have started the celebrations any better".

The presentation was in charge of Maria Antónia Athayde Amaral, member of the General Council of the UC and of the Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage, who described the work now published as "extraordinary". According to Maria Antónia Athayde Amaral, "the reader will fall in love with the built heritage".

The Rector of the UC recalled that the University "is a castle of knowledge production, of tolerance, of social responsibility and equity. All these humanist values make the UC unique on the national and international scene".

Amílcar Falcão called upon the Rector Emeritus to close the session that kicks off the celebrations of the tenth anniversary of UNESCO classification. It was during the two terms of Fernando Seabra Santos that the application process took place: "I felt we needed to prepare the institution, to show that old stones are part of our house, that we are these old stones that represent the future of this university. Fortunately, things worked out and we are the fourth university in the world classified as a world heritage site and it was possible to combine this project with many others", stated Seabra Santos.

The work was an initiative of RUAS Association ("Recreating the University, Alta and Sofia"), and includes texts about the Joanina Library, by Fernando Taveira da Fonseca and António Filipe Pimentel; Saint Michael's Chapel, by Gabriel Pereira; the Chapel's Organ, by Paulo Bernardino; the Botanical Garden, by Ana Cristina Tavares; and the Machado de Castro National Museum, by Maria de Lurdes Craveiro.

At the end of the presentation the audience was able to listen to some pieces of Iberian music from the late Renaissance and the Baroque period composed for organ, played by the organist of the UC, Paulo Bernardino.