5/5 Alexandre A. 1 year ago on Google
The
Raiu
Palace
(also
called
the
Mexican
House)
was
built
during
the
reign
of
King
Joao
V,
1774-1755,
and
is
one
of
the
most
beautiful
buildings
in
the
city
of
Braga.
The
palace
construction
project
was
developed
by
the
architect
Andre
Soares,
already
known
in
Braga
for
his
artistic
projects,
by
order
of
the
influential
and
wealthy
businessman
Juan
Duarte
de
Faria,
who
was
also
a
knight
of
the
Order
of
Christ.
Presumably
in
1867,
the
palace
was
sold
to
the
entrepreneur
Miguel
Jose
Rai,
and
after
a
while
the
Palace
became
known
as
the
Raiu
Palace.
Later,
the
building
passed
to
the
Order
of
Mercy,
which
housed
the
separate
rooms
of
the
Hospital
of
St.
Mark
in
the
palace.
As
for
the
architectural
features,
the
palace
is
made
in
the
late
Baroque
style.
The
Baroque
style
is
mainly
reflected
in
the
structure
of
the
building,
and
the
building
is
decorated
in
the
Rococo
style.
The
facade
of
the
two-story
palace,
with
the
exception
of
the
window
decoration,
is
decorated
with
the
famous
azulejo
tiles.
The
roof
of
the
palace
is
decorated
with
a
balustrade
with
pointed
turrets.
On
the
ground
floor,
in
addition
to
the
main
entrance,
there
are
two
more
side
doors
painted
blue
to
match
the
facade
of
the
building.
On
the
second
floor,
the
balcony,
which
is
located
directly
above
the
main
entrance,
is
also
decorated
with
a
balustrade
and
two
decorative
sculptures.
The
flank
windows
on
this
floor
are
less
sophisticated
than
the
center
windows.
Particular
attention
is
drawn
inside
the
main
staircase
with
three
flights,
decorated
with
a
sculpture
of
a
Turk.
Raiu
Palace
is
one
of
the
most
visited
places
in
the
city
of
Braga,
and
since
1956
has
been
included
in
the
list
of
monuments.
which
are
of
public
interest
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