The Infante D. Henrique Archaeological Museum and Lapidary is located in the former Convent of Nossa Senhora da Assunção (Our Lady of Assumption). Abandoned after religious orders were banned in 1834, the convent even ended up being used as a cork factory throughout much of the 20th century. In 1960, conversion work began turning it into a Museum.
The collection is mostly made up of local archaeological finds dating from the pre-historic through to the medieval with a major emphasis on the Roman. The Roman collection features pieces from the Milreu Ruins: the Ocean mosaic, two tombstones with inscriptions referring to Ossonoba and busts of emperors Agripina, Hadrian and Galien.
There is also a sizeable collection of religious art including 17th and 18th century paintings, some tiling and the diverse range of decorative objects on display in the Ferreira de Almeida Room.
The chapel which was part of the original convent retains its original structure. Now used as an auditorium, it is only open to the public when events are taking place |