More than half a century later, the tile panels lining the exterior of the Cupertino de Miranda Foundation (FCM), the largest in Europe, have gained a new life. The masterpiece of João Charters de Almeida, which is now one of the ex-libris of the city of Vila Nova de Famalicão and the region, recovered the splendour and freshness of other times, thanks to a "thorough and complex" restoration work that allowed to recover 97% of the original tiles.
The final result was presented last Saturday, 12 November, in a public session attended by Charters de Almeida.
The artist was "very moved" by the restoration work carried out on the more than 50,000 tiles and recalled the invitation issued at the time for its conception. "In a short space of time, I, who had never done ceramics, get two iconic works in this area - the FCM building, here in Famalicão, and the one for Jornal de Notícias, in Porto. It was a terrible responsibility", he recalled.
Remember that the intervention started last July with the purpose of preserving the memory and history of the 54 thousand tiles. With an overall budget of around 500 thousand euros, the work had municipal support of 150 thousand euros. To carry out the intervention, the Cupertino de Miranda Foundation relied on the company Signinum and the scientific support of the Polytechnic Institute of Tomar/University of Aveiro.
The Mayor of the City Hall praised the enormous contribution of the Cupertino de Miranda Foundation for the cultural dynamism of the famalicense municipality. Mário Passos stressed the importance of the restoration of the tiles lining the exterior of the FCM, pointed out by the mayor as one of the best calling cards of the county. "The work that was carried out here is a good example of heritage recovery and preservation", he said.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of FCM, Pedro Álvares Ribeiro, thanked the involvement of the famalicense society in this process. "The rehabilitation mobilized about 5 thousand citizens, companies and institutions, including the City Council, which contributed decisively to the financing of this intervention."
Recall that the Foundation launched the movement "Azulejos com Memória" (Tiles with Memory) to allow everyone to leave their mark and contribute to the preservation of the memory and history of the tiles of Charters de Almeida. "The campaign showed how an entire city can be involved in the recovery of heritage", added Pedro Álvares Ribeiro.