Seminary Museum
Original title: Museu do Seminário
The natural history museum of the Funchal diocesan seminary, founded in 1882 by the German priest Ernesto Schmitz, holding collections of the archipelago's fauna, flora and minerals. The Elucidário considers it the only museum of undisputed scientific value in Funchal.
Foundation, collections and directors
The so-called seminary (Seminário) museum, the only one of undisputed scientific value in Funchal, was founded in 1882 by the German priest Father Ernst Schmitz, then a teacher at that institution. For many years it was attached to the Episcopal Seminary of Funchal (Seminário Episcopal do Funchal). Only recently was it transferred to the house on the Largo do Visconde do Ribeiro Real, next to the residence of the diocesan prelate, where it is at present (1921).
The seminary museum is a natural-history museum, representing the fauna, flora and minerals of the archipelago. As regards the fauna, the collections of birds, fish and shells deserve mention, as do those of corals and of certain groups of insects. As regards the flora, notable for their importance are the collections of mosses and flowering plants made by the late James Yate Johnson, those of lichens and fungi made by Father Jaime de Gouveia Barreto, and the seaweed collection assembled by Father Ernst Schmitz. The collection of flowering plants has been much improved recently, thanks to the research of the young Madeiran botanist José Gonçalves da Costa.
Father Ernst Schmitz, who rendered such great services to the seminary museum, directed it until June 1908. Its present director is Father Jaime Barreto, a distinguished naturalist who has succeeded in preserving and advancing the work begun by his illustrious teacher (1921).
The natural-sciences museum of the Diocesan Seminary is currently housed in the Incarnação building, under the able direction of Canon Jaime de Gouveia Barreto, professor and rector of the Seminary.
In this article
Time
Years mentioned · 02Place
Places mentioned · 04
- Encarnação building
Funchal. Building where the museum was later installed.
The Edifício da Encarnação is a building in Funchal that formerly housed the Episcopal Seminary. It was acquired by the Junta Geral under Dr. Vasco Gonçalves Marques, and the Museu do Seminário was later installed there.
- Episcopal Seminary of Funchal
Funchal. Seminary to which the museum was attached for many years.
Seminary to which the museum was attached for many years.
- Funchal
City where the museum is located.
The capital of the archipelago and seat of the principal captaincy, where settlement began; it was made a vila c.1451–52. Its bay, the widest in the archipelago, lies between Ponta do Garajau and Ponta da Cruz and offers sheltered anchorage, though its harbour had never been studied oceanographically. The Elucidário discusses it as a health resort with climate data and records the January 1906 disturbances, the Danish prince's visit in May 1846 and recent volcanic cones in the area.
- Largo do Visconde do Ribeiro Real
Funchal. Square where the museum was housed in 1921, next to the bishop's residence.
A square in Funchal with its own entry in the Elucidário. The bishop's palace has its main entrance on the square, and the Seminary museum was housed there in 1921.
People
People mentioned · 04- Ernst Schmitz1845–1922
German priest and seminary teacher who founded the Seminary museum in 1882, assembled its seaweed collection and directed it until June 1908.
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Priest, naturalist and later canon and rector of the Seminary who collected its lichens and fungi and succeeded Schmitz as museum director.
- James Yate Johnson1820–1900
Late naturalist whose collections of mosses and flowering plants are held in the Seminary museum.
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Young Madeiran botanist whose fieldwork greatly improved the museum's flowering-plant collection.