Raio Palace - Braga

The Palácio do Raio, also called Casa do Mexicano , is owned by the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Braga. It was built in the Joan of Arc style.

It is one of the most remarkable buildings of the city in terms of civil architecture, in the Joanine Baroque style. The façade stands out for its exuberant decoration , starting with the richly carved central door and the 11 windows distributed over the two floors. The ornaments are asymmetrical, which gives the building a dynamism and drama common in the work of architect André Soares.

The work underwent a second campaign at the end of the 19th century , when the tiles that give the facade its blue hue were installed, as well as a colored glass door that separates the atrium from the staircase. The ceilings and the staircase were also painted at that time by José Maria Pereira Júnior, better known as Pereira Cão.

It was built between 1754 and 1755 by order of João Duarte de Faria, a powerful merchant from Braga, to a design by the Braga architect André Soares.

The property was sold in 1853 by José Maria Duarte Peixoto to Miguel José Raio , Viscount of São Lázaro, and has since been known as the "Palace of Raio". The Viscount, born in Braga, had made his fortune in Brazil. In 1863, he opened the street in front of the palace to have a better view of his house and to build two houses for his daughters.

At his death in 1882 , due to economic difficulties, the heirs transferred the palace to the Banco do Minho on 28 December 1882, which in turn sold it on 1 October 1883 to the Santa Casa de Misericórdia , which established part of the services of the São Marcos Hospital there.

It was restored in 2015 and is the Interpretation Centre for the Memories of Misericórdia de Braga. It houses collections from the institution and the health care of the region. For this purpose, it has been completely renovated to house the museum centre and the documentary collection of the institution.

The collection includes machines and devices used in medical care , as well as other utensils from the old hospitals. The initiative had a budget of 4.2 million euros for the complete renovation of the building.

Willem Vandenameele