FROM YOUR STREET OR SCHOOL, THE VIRTUAL DOORS OF MONASTERY OF LEÇA DO BALIO ARE OPEN!

Now it's possible to follow the progress of Siza Vieira's work at Leça do Balio Monastery from the street, home, or school! The virtual tour project is available and will allow you to get to know the latest investment from the Lionesa Group, presenting, among other features, the monitoring of the ongoing rehabilitation process under the guidance of the architect. You can interact and visit more than 20 points of interest about the history of Leça do Balio Monastery and Siza Vieira's sculpture. The virtual tour also "walks" through the garden, with a 360º video showing the diversity of the green space, from sculptures and ponds to leisure spaces and introspection, as well as the connection to Lionesa Business Hub and the cycle path, the green corridor of Leça. The project also has a broader goal of honoring and perpetuating the Way of St. James. The narration of the project is done by the historian Joel Cleto, making it a tool for an immersive experience that can be explored by schools.

"I dare to say that it must be the first national monument to see its heritage perpetuated in this way. For us, it is a dynamic example of promoting the history of Portugal – Roman Temple, Establishment of the Order of the Hospital, First love marriage, 1755 Earthquake, Siege of Porto... until today – and will provide a unique experience for schools, emphasizing the role of Matosinhos in the history of Portugal and the Way of St. James," emphasizes Francisca Pedro Pinto, who is responsible for this virtual tour project of Monastery of Leça do Balio.

The virtual tour presented now allows dynamically tracking the current state of the monastery versus the rehabilitation directed by Siza Vieira. The digitization of the heritage in its current state allows preserving it for future memory, as well as demonstrating that the rehabilitation project is committed to preserving it.

The 21 hotspots/points of interest allow visitors to interact and discover more about the history of the Monastery and the sculpture of architect Siza Vieira, through points of interest that are divided into 3 formats: text, image, video. The tool also includes an educational quiz.

"Monastery of Leça do Balio aims to be a space that activates sensations, induces new paths, promoting moments of introspection, reflection, and overcoming. Thus, we revive, reactivate, and give contemporaneity to the oldest Portuguese path to Santiago de Compostela, passing through the Monastery of Leça do Balio, an important historical landmark towards Compostela," concludes Francisca Pedro Pinto.

You can visit here: https://www.balio.pt/