The Machado de Castro Museum opened to the public in October 1913, and became a national museum in 1965.

The Museum’s buildings were declared a national monument in 1910. The former Bishop’s Palace was built on top of the cryptoporticus – the foundation of the forum of the Roman city of Aeminium. Dating from the 1st century AD, this is most important surviving Roman building in Portugal. The various buildings that we see today were constructed between the 12th and the 18th centuries as a residence for the bishops of Coimbra. Notable among many changes over the centuries are the remains of part of the Romanesque cloister of the Condal period (c. 1100-1140), the graceful classical loggia from the late 16th century, and the baroque church of São João de Almedina, built in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.
The museum’s name pays homage to one of the greatest Portuguese sculptors, Joaquim Machado de Castro (1731-1822), who was born near Coimbra and was sculptor to the royal house in the reigns of José I, Maria I and João VI.
The Museum’s collections show the wealth of the Church and the importance of royal patronage, seen in important works of art and in religious vestments, enriched with a variety of acquisitions from private donations.
Of particular interest here are the statues in stone and wood, both monochrome and painted, including several fine pieces from the workshops of well-known Flemish masters, as well as the evolution of Portuguese schools from the Middle Ages to the 18th century. The collections of jewellery, painting, ceramics and textiles are also important and representative as regards both importations and national production. The museum also has significant archaeological and Oriental collections.
Its architectural and museological spaces were recently refurbished and expanded, in a project signed by architect Gonçalo Byrne. As a result of this renovation, it is now possible to visit one of the most remarkable works of Roman architecture in Portugal, the cryptoporticus.

Up to March 2009:
Tues. - Sun. & public holidays: 10 a.m.- 12.30 / 2 - 6 p.m.
Closed Mon.

April - September 2009:
Tues. - Sun. & public holidays: 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Closed Mon.

Until complete reopening of the Museum - € 2 (visiting the cryptoporticus only)
After reopening - € 4