“The Campo de Ourique Pombaline barracks is a rare example of an 18th-century barracks built from scratch, and in good condition, in addition to being a privileged testimony to the Pombaline reconstruction of Lisbon, the reorganisation of the Portuguese army, the 19th-century expansion of the city and of various military episodes in national history”, the ordinance reads.

The process of classifying the Pombaline nucleus of the Campo de Ourique Barracks was opened in 2017, according to an order from the then-general director of Cultural Heritage, Paula Araújo Silva.

In May of this year, the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage (DGPC), under the leadership of João Carlos dos Santos, proposed to the Secretary of State for Culture, Isabel Cordeiro, the classification of the Pombaline nucleus of the Campo de Ourique Barracks, in parish of Campo de Ourique, municipality and district of Lisbon, as a monument of public interest, with the process being subject to public consultation for 30 working days.

The Campo de Ourique Barracks, a large pink building on Rua Infantaria, numbers 16-30, and Rua Ferreira Borges, 98-D, was built in a strategic location for the defense of the capital, starting in 1758, leading to the reorganization of space in the area, namely with the opening of the Parade, dedicated to military training.

According to the ordinance published in Diário da República, “the Campo de Ourique Barracks is possibly the oldest military building in Lisbon with this chronology of origin to house troops”.

The barracks were built by Marquês de Pombal in one of the few areas of the city of Lisbon that were relatively spared from the destruction caused by the 1755 earthquake, it is mentioned in the document, indicating that “this barracks would be part of a broader project, included in the construction plan reorganization of the Army and defensive structures of the kingdom led by the Count of Lippe”.

“The original nucleus was completed at the end of 1780, determining the layout of the neighboring blocks. Of this nucleus, the ashlars of 18th-century tiles that adorn the walls of the ground-floor barracks, raised above basement rooms, deserve particular attention”, reads the entrance, also highlighting the Portuguese sidewalk that covers the interior parade, with military symbolism, installed at the end of the 19th century.

The classification of the Pombaline nucleus of the Campo de Ourique Barracks reflects the criteria set out in law no. 107/2001, which establishes the basis of the policy and regime for the protection and enhancement of cultural heritage.

According to the ordinance, these generic assessment criteria are related to the basic character of the property, its interest as a notable testimony of historical experiences and facts, its intrinsic aesthetic, technical and material value, its architectural and urban design, its extension and what is reflected in it from the point of view of collective memory, and circumstances likely to result in a decrease or loss of its perpetuity or integrity.