Quinta do Hospital

Quinta do Hospital is a completely walled estate in the Vinho Verde region - sub-region of Monção and Melgaço.

It is believed that the land on which the Quinta stands was donated by Dom Afonso Henriques' mother - Countess Dona Teresa de Leão - to the Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem or Order of the Hospital, and was part of the invitation for these “Hospitallers” to settle in the County of Portucalense.

The Order of the Hospital was one of the main international institutions of the time and its establishment implied prestige and a strategy to establish an important ally for the autonomous policy that was being developed, contributing to the process of affirmation of the County and its subsequent independence, leading to the formation of Portugal.

In the Middle Ages, hospitals were spaces created in the spirit of helping others, designed to welcome and offer ‘hospitality’ to travellers and especially pilgrims, which contributed to this Quinta becoming a place of ‘hospital/hospitality’ support for pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela.

With a 16th century façade emblazoned with the Baron of the Hospital, Quinta do Hospital is located in the parish of Ceivães, in the municipality of Monção, overlooking the national road at the eastern end of the town of Valinha.