Inauguration of the Exhibition - Convention of the Trines, 40s - Today

As part of the celebrations of the “International Day of Monuments and Sites 2017”, promoted by the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites), the Hydrographic Institute (OH) inaugurated, on April 18, the photographic exhibition entitled “Convent of the Trines, Years 40 / Today”.

This exhibition aims to show two views of the same space, specifically the extinct Convent of the Trinas and the Lapa area, separated by 75 years, counterpoint with current photographs taken from the same focal point. The photographs of the 1940s are by Manuel Santos Estevens, at the time a young civil servant with the task of creating in this place the Archives of the State Secretariats. The current photographs were taken by technicians from this institute.

The opening of the exhibition was carried out by two interventions: the first was presented by Professor Dr. José Sarmento de Matos, subject to the theme “ The convent of Trinas and Lapa”, the second presentation was given by Dr. Catarina Figueiredo Cardoso, alluding to the theme “ The Trina Convent and Military Tourism”.

At the opening session, the Director-General of the Hydrographic Institute, Rear Admiral Coelho Cândido, gave an address, in which it is transcribed in full:

“Welcome to the Hydrographic Institute on the International Day of Monuments and Sites. Since 2014, the Hydrographic Institute has been associated with this initiative of the 1980s promoted by the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites).

The theme that has been proposed to us this year is “Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Tourism”. We tried to meet this challenge with two thematic presentations and a photographic exhibition.

I would like to begin by thanking Professor Dr. José Sarmento de Matos, a reference olyssipographer, who knows better than anyone the history of the neighborhood of Lapa, built around the Convent of Trinas, for having made himself available to be with us today to tell us precisely this strong cultural link of the convent to the current parish of Estrela.

I also thank Mrs. Catarina Figueiredo Cardoso, Deputy Director General of National Defense Resources, who, in the impossibility of the presence of Lieutenant Colonel Fernando da Luz Costa, for reasons of illness, accepted the challenge of addressing the other component of this year's theme, tourism, and we thought it was right to do so in a particular and innovative way, which is the new perspective in the study of “military tourism”.

And as they say that “Culture is what remains in man when he has forgotten everything else” we have a proposal for photographic exhibition that shows how images quickly revive our memory and as such are an important vehicle for promoting culture. This exhibition is only possible thanks to the estate that Manuel Santos Estevens left us that from 1939 until the 1950s photographed not only the Convent of the Trinas but also the entire surrounding space, as well as numerous places of our country then.

I take this opportunity to greet Maria Beatriz Estevens, widow of Manuel Estevens, whom we thank for all this legacy.

The exhibition we propose is almost a time travel, we tried from the same focal point to have two visions separated for approximately 75 years. The photographs of the 1940s of the last century are by Santos Estevens and the current ones taken by the technicians of the IH. This exhibition will be open to the public until May 5.

But these photographs serve to much more than revive our memory, they have also served as a reference for the Hydrographic Institute to recover and maintain the layout of the building of the Trinas Convent maintaining the tradition of the Armed Forces, especially the Navy which this year celebrates the 700 years since its foundation, to proudly preserve the legacy entrusted to them”.

This event was attended by Vice Admiral Deputy Chief of Staff of the Armada, Vice Admiral Mendes Calado, Director General of National Defense Resources, Dr. Alberto Coelho, President of the Board of Directors of the Auditors Association of the National Defense Course, Dr. António Vilar, former directors-general of the IH, general officers, among other guests present.