Fundação José Saramago

At the Casa dos Bicos, in Lisbon, the José Saramago Foundation brings together the writer’s memory and a long urban history. Established by José Saramago in June 2007, the foundation is dedicated to literature and culture in the Portuguese language, to promoting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and to defending the environment. Since June 2012, it has been based in this building on Rua dos Bacalhoeiros, commissioned in 1523 by Brás de Albuquerque, son of Afonso de Albuquerque, after a journey to Italy. The façade, classified as a National Monument, is distinguished by stones carved into diamond points, in Renaissance taste, and by windows inspired by the Manueline language. The house has had private and public uses, was once used as a cod warehouse, and today hosts the permanent exhibition dedicated to Saramago’s life and work. On the ground floor, the archaeological centre reveals traces of Lisbon from the Roman occupation to the present day.