António Rosa Mendes, 59, historian and university professor who, in 2005, was president of the Faro National Capital of Culture, passed away this Tuesday, June 4, at the Hospital de Faro, where he was hospitalized for a few weeks.
Born in Vila Nova de Cacela, in 1954, Rosa Mendes graduated in Law and History and a doctorate in History.
He was a professor at the University of Algarve, where he coordinated the Center for the Study of Heritage and History of the Algarve and was director of the Central Library. He was also one of the founders of the Algarve publishing house Gente Singular.
"He was an outstanding personality in the academic, cultural and political life of the Algarve", considered, in a statement, the mayor of Faro.
«Faro you have an enormous gratitude towards him. He was the one who directed the project for Faro, National Capital of Culture 2005, giving this city a remarkable cultural policy in that period», added Macário Correia.
Jorge Queiroz, who worked with Rosa Mendes at the Capital of Culture, considered, on his Facebook page, that this is “a huge loss for the Algarve's culture”.
«I met António Rosa Mendes in 2004, when he was appointed President of the Mission Structure Faro 2005- National Capital of Culture, where I was then responsible for the visual arts and exhibitions program. A man of principles and civic courage, he had a solid historian's culture with recognized work. A pedagogue and university researcher. He was a fair defender of Portuguese culture and the Algarve. We were forever friends. It leaves us with an enormous nostalgia and an emptiness that is difficult to fill. I hope the Algarve pays him the tribute he deserves”, adds Jorge Queiroz.
In statements to the Sul Informação, Jorge Queiroz added that António Rosa Mendes was “one of the greatest current figures of culture in Portugal, although he was not sufficiently recognized for that”.
The funeral is expected to take place on Thursday, June 6, in Vila Nova de Cacela, where the university professor was born.
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