In this event we'll get to know the Puppet Museum and the Convento das Bernardas, where the museum is located. Through a guided tour we'll get to know not only this building of public interest, but also the history of puppets, which delight many of us, young and old alike. Dare and come with us.

Puppet Museum:

Since November 2001, the Museu da Marioneta (Puppet Museum) has been housed in the Convento das Bernardas. It is the first and only museum in Portugal dedicated entirely to the interpretation and dissemination of the history of the puppet and the spread of puppet theatre, tracing the history of this fascinating art form throughout the world, presenting the different types of puppets and the various approaches they allow, with special emphasis on the Portuguese puppet.

The museum's collection has been progressively expanded and diversified, illustrating the different theatrical forms that derive from ancient traditions or emerge from contemporary artistic pursuits, exploring new forms, new materials and new techniques. This expansion has only been possible with the participation of different personalities, authors, collectors and puppeteers who have embraced this project with us, making their invaluable contribution by donating their collections, to which the Museum is very grateful.

In 1998, when the building was in a deep state of disrepair, it was acquired by the Lisbon City Council, which proceeded to restore and rehabilitate it. 34 families are currently housed in the building, as well as various services such as the Puppet Museum, shops, a restaurant and a neighbourhood collective.

The Convent of the Bernards:

The Convent of the Bernardesses was founded in 1653 by concession of King John IV, and the cloister was already closed in 1655. During the great earthquake in 1755, the building was almost completely destroyed, but reconstruction began in 1758 under the supervision of architect Giacomo Azzolini. In 1786, the nuns returned to the convent, where they remained until 1834, when the religious orders were abolished and their property expropriated. The old convent was rented out successively, and in 1850 it was acquired by Joaquim Lopes Câmara, who set up a college there. It was then used as a Polytechnic Lyceum, a cinema, a concert hall, the headquarters of a philharmonic, and its last function was as a dwelling. Its state of disrepair is very marked. At the end of 1998, the building was acquired by the City Council, which began renovation work in November 1999, which lasted until July 2001.