In the heart of Chiado, the Orpheu XI is a typical Pombaline building, where a rigorous renovation valued and preserved the historical façade and relevant elements inside.
With a project by Frederico Valsassina, the restoration respected both its noble character as well as the symbolism of a place where architecture and literature intersect, providing a new purpose and context to the historical elements of the building. The arches and interspaces were used and exposed, the domes (structures that predate the earthquake of 1755) were maintained, as were the interior doors and light frames that make the residential space an elegant and distinctive dwelling. The foundations of the building, which houses only 10 luxurious apartments, also preserve part of the old Fernandina Wall.
History is felt in these homes, located in a unique, exclusive place of the capital and each room inspires and pays homage to the building’s artistic past. It was in this place that some of the greatest figures of national literary life, including Fernando Pessoa, Mário de Sá-Carneiro, Almada Negreiros and Santa-Rita Pintor, met to launch the innovative magazine Orpheu, which introduced the modernist movement in Portugal.
