The Pleasures of Water: Health, Contemplation and Fun
On 20 September the fourth session of the series of talks “The Pleasures of Water: Health, Contemplation and Fun” took place.
Diana and Actaeon fountain at the Royal Palace of Caxias.
The lecture was about the rehabilitation of the Project of the Hydraulic system of the Royal Landscape Estate of Caxias, built in the 18th century. The Project was chosen by the European Commission as a European Pilot Project of Rehabilitation, in the European Year of the Historic Gardens 1993. The hydraulic system was the main infrastructure to be studied, together with the center of the composition, the “Cascade” the monumental building of the artificial waterfall, this scenery together with the waterjets and the sculptures, tell the story of the bath of the goddess Diana and the punishment of the hunter Acteon. When the hydraulic system was studied, discoveries were made about circulation and distribution of the water by gravity, always bearing in mind the sustainability and water saving, subjects central nowadays. The water enters the garden through an aqueduct approximately 3 kilometers long and is distributed by ponds and pools for pleasure and recreation with sceneries connected to the surrounding landscape. The sculptures are from the 18th century made by the famous Portuguese sculptor Machado de Castro, the sculptures were made of terracotta, and they are of very high quality. They are contemporary, of the famous scenery of the Bath of Diana at the Palace of Caserta in Naples, and they are unique in the panorama of the European estates and historic gardens. The Municipality of Oeiras, in the past 25 years, made a remarkable work of rehabilitation, and promotion, with a large team, together with the enthusiasm and knowledge of our colleague Rodrigo Dias, member of the ENCOUNTER network.
The future challenges of the Estate of Caxias were debated since the water management needs rehabilitation of the water sources and the royal house and part of the estate are going to be a hotel and a public park.
Diana and Actaeon fountain at the Royal Palace of Caxias.
For further information contact Rodrigo Dias: rard16@hotmail.com