Ernesto Korrodi's Palace of Dona Chica: majestic cultic ruin

Abstract

In 1915, João José Ferreira Rego, a wealthy businessman who got rich in Brazil, entrusts Ernesto Korrodi with the task of building an extravagant palace in the town of Palmeira (Braga) in order to honor his wife Francisca Peixoto Rego –known by the nickname of Dona Chica–. It is a work of maturity, in which the Swiss architect combines his theoretical knowledge of medieval style with the new artistic tendencies from Europe. The Palácio de Dona Chica –currently in a ruined state– will be one of the most interesting and megalo-maniacal examples of Portuguese fin-de-siècle architecture.