Maps, books that are dozens and dozens of years old, trophies from the school's sports teams, pieces of furniture that have been used for decades, or material from Africa. The estate of the former Lyceum of Faro (today Escola Secundária João de Deus) which, until now, was awaited, will be able to be seen by the entire population at the Núcleo Museológico do Lyceu de Faro, which opens this Saturday, May 13th.
The idea of «opening the Liceu de Faro to the entire population" appeared a year ago, when the book commemorating the 50th anniversary of the athletics team was launched, The “Môces” of the Lyceum of Faro.
António Manuel Meira Pinto was part of this team and gladly accepted the proposal, after the book, to launch the Museum of the Athletics Team.
«As I have a degree in History, Art and Heritage, and am currently retired, they gave me the task of doing something bigger and I accepted. I started working on it, but when I saw the assets that the Lyceum has, I realized that this core could not be just for athletics and that it had to be much bigger», he tells the Sul Informação.
O Lyceum Museum Nucleus Faro It will thus gather material to create five rooms, which will be presented in stages: the athletics and school sports room, the high school history room, the science room and the Africa room (currently on display).
The inauguration ceremony, scheduled for this morning, will present the theme “Manuel Viegas Guerreiro and the Lyceum museum nucleus” to the community.
«Manuel Viegas Guerreiro taught here in the 40s. At that time, he made an exchange with another teacher from Angola, Higino Vieira, and both brought here a large collection and it is this collection of pieces that we are now disclosing. It is a very rich exhibition: the Municipal Museum of Faro It has given enormous support and the Manuel Viegas Guerreiro Foundation has also shown interest, providing materials they have in Querença», continues Meira Pinto.
Carlos Luís, director of Escola Secundária João de Deus, has aspired, since the time he assumed these functions, to see the birth of this museum nucleus.
«It was very sad that all this ancient and very rich collection that the school has remained closed and hidden from people and that it was not made available to the general population», he says, referring that these exhibitions will be important for the people of Faro, for the city, and for all pupils who, in this way, «get to know the history of the school they attend».
«We have two original editions of books from the 1851th and XNUMXth centuries. We have the oldest editions of Algarve newspapers. We have the decree of Queen D. Maria II creating this school, which dates back to XNUMX », he exemplifies.
More than 170 years of history are being told in these exhibitions, which will be organized with the collaboration of students and teachers. «The aim is to always bring the entire school community together», explains Meira Pinto.
The first exhibition, which is on display at the Library, can be visited until the end of May, during school hours.
«For now, we have these limitations, but, with this connection that we have already achieved with other entities, the objective is that, later, the Nucleus can be presented in a longer schedule. What we want is to make this space open and accessible».
For this, director Carlos Luís also hopes to be able to count on the support of the City Council of Faro.
«My idea, if we manage to do so, is to include the school building itself and the museum in the city’s tourist itineraries, because there are already tourists who come here wanting to visit», he tells our newspaper, adding that, for that, it is help from the municipality is necessary, «namely with the hiring of personnel to be responsible for that part».
This Saturday, the 13th, at 10:00 am, the inauguration ceremony will be attended by municipal entities, but also by former teachers and students.
«The school is this: teachers and students come and go and projects begin and end with these changes. My objective here is also to create a link between the old and new communities, showing that it is possible to have this link so that things do not get lost», says Meira Pinto.
Although he was in charge of organizing the estate, he stresses that the students are involved in the entire project, «from the creation of posters and invitations, to the capture of images during the inauguration».
«It is very important that they are involved so that they feel this nucleus as theirs», he concludes.
For now, the Lyceum Museum Nucleus Faro It can be visited from Monday to Friday, between 9 am and 00 pm.
Photos: Mariana Sedge | Sul Informação
The Lyceum of Faro was officially created by decree of Queen D. Maria II, on January 3, 1851.
In 1911, the request for a transition from the “national” to the “central” Lyceum was made, which allowed him to also teach the complementary course (and not just the general one).
The name of the Algarve poet and pedagogue “João de Deus” appears for the first time as patron of the high school, in 1912, by a movement initiated by its students, only being recognized and made official in 1929.
It is renamed Liceu Nacional de Faro in 1948 and occupies a new space, in what is now the current building located at the top of Avenida 5 de Outubro.
The work was officially handed over on April 28, 1948 and, in 1966, the lyceum once again adopted the name Liceu João de Deus, and celebrated the patron's day on March 8 (date on which the poet's birth is celebrated). and pedagogue).
On April 27, 1978, it was renamed Escola Secundária João de Deus, by decree ending the distinction between high schools and technical schools.
In 2009, within the scope of the Modernization Program for Secondary Schools, the public company Parque Escolar planned requalification works for the building, but only in September 2010 did its rehabilitation formally begin, which was only completed in 2015.
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