The transfer of Es de Queiroz’s remains to the National Pantheon, planned for Wednesday, is aimed at honoring the writer’s memory, said the president of the foundation that bears his name, although the move has been compromised by opposition from some family members.
The transfer was unanimously approved by the Assembly of the Republic on January 15, 2021, “in recognition and respect of a unique and decisive literary work in the history of Portuguese literature,” as can be read in the document published in Diário da. Republica a few weeks ago.
The initiative arose from a challenge put forward by the Eça de Queiroz Foundation and is part of the spirit of the law that defines and regulates the honors of the National Pantheon, aimed at “honoring and perpetuating the memory of Portuguese citizens who have distinguished themselves through services rendered.” country, in the performance of high public offices, high military services, in the expansion of Portuguese culture, in literary, scientific and artistic creation or in the defense of the values of civilization, in favor of the dignity of man. Man and the cause of freedom.”
“The issue of the Pantheon is our duty or our opportunity as a country, naturally represented by the Assembly of the Republic, to pay tribute to Esa de Queiroz and to receive another moment of great veneration and recognition of his life and work. It’s as simple as that,” Afonso Reis Cabral, president of the Esa de Queiroz Foundation, the great-great-grandson of the author of the book “Os Mayas,” told Lusa.
Asked if he thinks the move from Santa Cruz do Douro to the municipality of Bayan, where the author’s remains are kept, will bring more readers to Esa, Afonso Reis Cabral hopes so: “I hope it will contribute to that. I know perfectly well that this moment does not define anything and I know perfectly well that the future belongs to the one who lives it. life and work of Esa de Queiroz, at least our conscience is a little less clear.”
However, not all of the writer’s descendants agree with the move to Lisbon, where Esa de Queiroz was buried from September 1900, in the Alto de São João cemetery, until 1989, when his remains were transferred to Santa Cruz do Douro.
Of the writer’s 22 great-grandchildren, 13 agreed to be transferred to the National Pantheon, with three abstaining. Six people objected and this week petitioned the Supreme Administrative Court to take precautionary measures to prevent transmission.
The High Court granted the request, cited the decision of the Assembly of the Republic and is analyzing the request, but there is no decision yet.
Lusa tried to listen to these family members to no avail.
On the part of the Esa de Queiroz Foundation, Afonso Reis Cabral lamented the situation: “I am sorry that at this moment, in the face of the party around literature and the figure of Esa de Queiroz, instead of talking about Esa de Queiroz we are talking about some Esa de Queiroz Queiroz. […] The only figure who should have been of interest was Esa de Queiroz, and we could have a national moment of tribute, a celebration of the life and work of Esa de Queiroz. At the moment we don’t have one. Naturally, I regret this.”
Afonso Reis Cabral sees with “great surprise” that two and a half years after the publication in the Diário da República, a week before the event, “a request for precautionary measures appears.”
The former president of the parish council of Santa Cruz do Douro, António Fonseca (NSD), is part of a group of citizens opposed to the transfer to Lisbon. He told Lusa that “Esa’s place can only be in the shadow of Tormes”, and believes that the majority of the local population is of the same opinion, but there are “a handful of people” who will think differently “for political reasons”.
Regarding the reasons supporting opposition to the transfer, he spoke of the importance of “respecting the memory” of the founder of the Esa de Queiroz Foundation, “Doña Maria da Graça”, a great-granddaughter by birth of the writer, who achieved the transfer of the remains from Lisbon in 1989, with the support of then mayor Arthur Borges at the Santa Cruz do Douro cemetery.
António Fonseca hopes that justice will be able to stay the transfer to the National Pantheon, although he acknowledges that these honors are well deserved but do not necessarily involve the removal of the writer’s remains.
The current president of the city council, Bayan Paulo Pereira (PS), said he was following the controversy with “some sadness that contrasts with the joy caused by the presentation of the National Pantheon awards by the Assembly of the Republic.”
Paulo Pereira admits that from the very beginning of the process there have been “people who understand this situation differently”, but he hopes that “in this time that has passed, [se tivesse] We have reached this point by resolving this issue.”
For Paulo Pereira, “more important than whether the bones should be here or in the Pantheon is the legacy of Eça de Queiroz and the excellent work that the Eça de Queiroz Foundation is doing.”
António Vieira (PS), current President of the Parish Council of Santa Cruz do Douro, emphasized the honor his parish feels in seeing Eça de Queiroz in the National Pantheon.
The mayor does not agree that the presence of the writer’s remains in Biao attracts more visitors, as some people who oppose the relocation claim.
“I rarely see tourists visiting Es de Queiroz’s grave. Tourists and people who visit us in search of Esa often go to the foundation because that is where the remains are located. The place most tourists look for most often is the Tormes House. [sede da Fundação]”, on the right bank of the Douro, where Esa spent several seasons.
At one of these moments, the landscapes inspired the author to write the novel “A Cidade e as Serras,” published in 1901. In the book, Esa compares the bustle of life in Paris, where he worked, with the tranquility around Tormes. ‘house in Santa Cruz do Douro, today a museum.
It is there, amid terraced vineyards, that the foundation is based, containing part of his estate as a writer and diplomat, as well as personal belongings, including an extensive library.
José María Eza de Queiroz was born in Povoa de Varzim on November 25, 1845 and graduated from the Faculty of Law of the University of Coimbra.
A diplomat, he spent long periods away from the country, critically assessing life in Portugal in his works and creating texts that, more than 100 years after their publication, continue to be required reading and adapted for both theater and film. TV.
Among other titles, Eza de Queiroz wrote “Like Barbas” with Ramalho Ortigao, “O Primo Basílio”, “O Crime do Padre Amaro”, “A Relíquia” and “Os Maias”.
The National Pantheon in Lisbon, inaugurated in 1966, is where several figures from Portuguese political history are buried, such as Teofilo Braga, Sidonio Pais, Oscar Carmona and Humberto Delgado, and, according to national letters, names range from Almeida Garrett to Sofia. from Mello Breiner and Aquilino Ribeiro to fado singer Amalia Rodrigues and footballer Eusebio da Silva Ferreira.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I am Michael Melvin, an experienced news writer with a passion for uncovering stories and bringing them to the public. I have been working in the news industry for over five years now, and my work has been published on multiple websites. As an author at 24 News Reporters, I cover world section of current events stories that are both informative and captivating to read.