Largo de S. Julião, Lisbon Free admission Wednesday to Saturday, from 10am to 6pm www.museudodinheiro.pt

Group tours Advance booking Bookings T + 351 213 213 240 | info@museudodinheiro.pt

Architectural project Architects Gonçalo Byrne and Falcão de Campos • Structures and foundations Project A2P, coordinated by Engineers João and Vasco Appleton • Res-toration CaCo3, coordinated by Teresa Silveira • Archaeology Arquehoje, coordinated by Artur Rocha • Acoustic panels and artistry Fernanda Fragateiro • Water supply and waste water project Grade Ribeiro • Electrical and security installation project Joule • Mechanical installations design Galvão Teles • Construction HCI, Construções • Safety equipment Gunnebo and Omnistal • Oversight Proman.

History of the blockThe head office of Banco de PortugalThe block housing the Banco de Portugal head office is the result of the progressive integration of a set of eight buildings and the former Church of São Julião, which the Bank acquired between 1868 and 1933.

Although the façade suggests a homogeneous whole, the successive alterations and adaptations to the interior of the buildings led to structural weakness in the built area, warranting thorough renovation.

Former Church of São JuliãoIn the 17th century, the Church of São Julião was not in its current position, but at the junction of Rua de São Julião and Rua Augusta.

After the destruction of the 1755 earthquake, the church was rebuilt in Largo de São Julião, where the Patriarchal Church of King João V had been, also razed to the ground in the catastrophe.

The reconstruction was completed in 1802. Fourteen years later, in 1816, a fire destroyed the contents of the church, requiring new work, which lasted until 1854.

The former church has been in the possession of Banco de Portugal since the 1930s, when it was deconsecrated and converted into a facility for services, with vaults and a cash distribution centre.

Money MuseumAfter the renovation of the en-tire Pombaline block, completed in 2012, Banco de Portugal re-established its head office in the building. The Money Museum, to be inaugurated in 2016, occupied the former Church, where one can also visit the King Dinis’ Wall (13th century), a listed national monu-ment.

In December 2017, Lisbon City Council distinguished the building with the 2014 Valmor and Munici-pal Architecture Award, acknowl-edging the quality and impor-tance of the initiative promoted by Banco de Portugal in the context of the Baixa/Chiado historic cen-tre and the return of the former church building to society.

Renovation and restoration

Head office of Banco de Portugal and Money Museum

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Timeline of the renovation

2006 Sep. The Commission for the Redevelopment of Baixa / Chiado proposes to Banco de Portugal to include its head office in the deve-lopment of the integrated financial centre, in Baixa. Banco de Portugal agrees to adding to its renovation plans the future installation of the Money Museum in the former Church of São Julião.

2017 The Money Museum wins various prizes, including the Valmor and Municipal Architecture Award.

2016 May Opening of Banco de Portugal’s Money Museum.

2014 Apr. Opening of the King Dinis’ Wall Interpretation Centre.

2012 Aug. to Oct. Work completed and reoccupation of the building.

2010 Dec. IGESPAR allows project alterations and authorises the works to resume.

2010 Jul. Confirmation of the existence of King Dinis’ Wall and discovery of part of the early apse of the high altar. Work at the site is halted.

2009 Dec. Award of the general renovation and restoration contract.

2007 Sep. Project initiated, awarded to architects Gonçalo Byrne and Falcão de Campos.

2004 Banco de Portugal restarts the analysis of the work needed to reinforce the head office’s structure, to comply with the Eurocodes on earthquake resistance and energy efficiency, with fire safety legislation and with implementation of preventive measures for floods and hurricanes.

One of the biggest challenges was the architectural and structural restoration of the former Church of São Julião.

Removing the extensions left a scarred ruin, which nevertheless showed potential for considerable restoration and redevelopment.

New spaces were created and the former spaces were restored, without flattering or hiding the building’s history, but instead interpreting it through a contemporary approach.

To protect and at the same time to contextualise the physical legacy, it was decided to preserve some of the scars from the destruction in the reconstruction of the building.

Over 130,000 archaeological finds were unear-thed, dating from the Roman era onwards, including burials from the former São Julião cemetery, and Pombaline stakes were identified and collected, that had been used in the recons-truction of Baixa after the 1755 earthquake.

Successive interventions up to the end of the 20th Century deformed the morphology and damaged the stonework of the former church’s walls.