Frei Luís de Montóia e Diogo de Castilho na construção do Colégio da Graça de Coimbra, segundo o Libro das obras del Collegio

Abstract

This brief study tries to reveal the complex process of the construction of the Colégio de Graça in Coimbra, of the Saint Augustine Hermits, promoted and supervised by Friar Luís of Montóia, technically helped by the well-known Biscayan Diogo de Castilho. The meticulous available documentation in the Libro das obras del Collegio, besides allowing us to know the several phases of this work and their respective contracts, with the amounts of money involved, identifies several masters and artisans, linked to this great time-consuming enterprise, including the sculptor Diogo Jaques, who performed several orders for the College church. The present text also shows how the search for building materials was reflected on the economic and social activity of several places of the Coimbra area, aspects largely mentioned in this paper, as it would be expected.