Founder

Atividades

Publicações

O Museu Pio XII, no âmbito da missão desenvolvida pelo Instituto de História e Arte Cristãs (IHAC), reúne um conjunto de publicações que visa promover a inventariação, estudo e divulgação do espólio do Museu e da Arquidiocese de Braga.

Esta Fundação cultural da Arquidiocese de Braga, apoiada na extensão bracarense da Faculdade de Teologia da Universidade Católica Portuguesa e no Seminário Conciliar de S. Pedro e S. Paulo da Arquidiocese de Braga procura promover a inventariação, recolha, organização, conservação, restauro, estudo e investigação do Arquivo Arquidiocesano de Braga e dos valores artísticos e arqueológicos que são património da Igreja Arquidiocesana de Braga.

Ao mesmo tempo, colabora na conservação, enriquecimento e beneficiação dos Museus Pio XII e Medina.

Desde 2017 o Museu Pio XII tem promovido ainda uma coleção de publicações dedicadas a artistas contemporâneos.

Activities

Publications

The Pius XII Museum, in the context of the mission developed by the Institute of Christian History and Art (IHAC), brings together a set of publications that aim to promote cataloguing, studying and disseminating the Museum's legacy. This Cultural Foundation of the Archdiocese of Braga, supported in the extension of the Faculty of Theology of the Catholic University of Portugal and the Conciliar Seminary of São Pedro and São Paulo of the Archdiocese of Braga, aims to promote cataloguing, collecting, organising, conserving, restoring, studying and researching the Archdiocesan archive of Braga and the artistic and archaeological values that are a heritage of the Archdiocesan Church of Braga.

At the same time, it collaborates towards conserving, enriching and improving the Pius XII and Medina Museums.

Since 2017, the Pius XII Museum has also promoted a collection of publications dedicated to contemporary artists.

Founder

The museum

Founder

He entered the Braga Cathedral Chapter, where he served as Dean. Between 1948 and 1975 he served as director of the Conciliar Seminary of São Pedro and São Paulo, in the Archdiocese of Braga.
In 1957, due to his personal interest in archaeology, he founded the Pius XII Museum, making the most of the empty rooms in the old building of the São Paulo School, which had been returned to the Archdiocese. On 21 June 1984, he founded the Medina Museum.

In the context of his highlighted devotion to cultural heritage, he carried out excavations, wrote articles, organised exhibitions and conferences. He also collaborated in founding the Limiano Institute and with the Terceiros Museum, in Ponte de Lima. He was also associated with the Portuguese Academy of History.

His work towards preserving and valuing cultural heritage was acknowledged early on. In 1986 he was awarded the Medal of Cultural Merit from the Ministry of Culture and in 1990, the President of the Republic granted him the Commendation of the Order of Merit.

He died in Braga on 12 November 1992, leaving behind an enormously valuable legacy. The municipality of Braga acknowledged his merit, including his name in the toponymy, with a street in the urban parish of São Vicente, implementing a proposal from the Commission of Toponomy from 20 May 1993.

Canon Luciano Afonso dos Santos

The founder of the Pius XII Museum was born on 24 September 1913, in the parish of Alvarães, in Viana do Castelo.

He went to the Braga seminaries, since Viana do Castelo was still part of the Archdiocese of Braga, and was ordained priest on 11 October 1936. From 1936 to 1940 he studied Dogmatic Theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University, in Rome.