With a minimum annual income of 15.276 euros, national or foreign private investors can now apply for the concession, por um período de 50 anos, of the Espichel Sanctuary, in Sesimbra, under the Program Revive.
With a total construction area of 5.937 m2, the investment to be made will involve the creation of a hotel establishment, local accommodation unit in the form of accommodation establishment, or another project with a tourist vocation.
The granting, whose contest was launched this Tuesday, comprises the immovable property belonging to the private domain of the municipality of Sesimbra (North wing) and part of the immovable property owned by the Confraria de Nossa Senhora do Cabo (Ala Sul).
Interested investors have a deadline of 60 days for submitting proposals that, in addition to giving a new life to this historic property, contribute to attracting tourists to the region and boosting the local economy. All information about the new contest is available on the Revive Program website – https://revive.turismodeportugal.pt/
The Sanctuary of Cabo Espichel, inserted in the natural park of Arrábida, also known as Sanctuary of Nossa Senhora da Pedra Mua, is located in Cape Espichel, and the legend says, What happened, no local, an apparition of Our Lady. From the primitive sanctuary referred to by the Visitations of the Order of Santiago, nothing is left these days.
From the cult of Nossa Senhora do Cabo and the fourteenth century Hermitage of Memory, in the 18th century, D. Pedro II and D. Joseph ordered the construction of a sanctuary that lasted, affection for worship, until the transition to the 20th century, then declining.
The Sanctuary congregates the church built between 1701-1707, in floor style, two wings of inns built between 1745-1760, the water house dated 1770 and supplied by an aqueduct and the opera house, from the end of eight hundred. The two rows of dwellings for the pilgrims create two lines that lead to the church, accentuating the temple's scenography, at the same time that they highlight a game of openings, full and empty and chiaroscuro through the arcade and windows on the upper floor, in a saloia architecture, but of great interest.
The property is classified as of public interest since 1950, benefiting, ainda, of a Special Protection Zone.
This is the 24th contest launched under the Revive, being one of the 49 registered properties joint program of the Ministries of Economy, Finanças, Defense and Culture, with the collaboration of local authorities and the coordination of Turismo de Portugal. Pretende-se, with this program, enhance and recover the unoccupied heritage, improving the attractiveness of regional destinations and the development of various regions of the country.
Until now, the concession of 18 properties under this program, que representam cerca de 139 million euros of investment in the recovery of public properties and annual rent in the order of 2,4 milhões de euros.
The launching ceremony was attended by the Minister of Economy, Pedro Siza Vieira, which admits that this contest marks the beginning of a period of hope for the tourism sector.
– It is the first contest that we opened after the last confinement. That is also why this sign I wanted to leave, is a sign of hope that our concern for supporting the sector is no longer to preserve activity and support supply in the face of falling demand. Rather, we start worrying about other priorities. We can reopen with confidence, but with caution, afirmou.
Also present were the Secretary of State for Tourism, Rita Marques, o presidente do Turismo de Portugal, Luís Araújo, as well as the Mayor of Sesimbra, Francisco Jesus, e D. Jose Ornelas, Bishop of Setúbal and president of the Portuguese Episcopal Conference.
