Carlos Amarante

Amarante was born in Braga, Portugal, to Manuel Ferreira da Cruz Amarante, a musician in the court of the Archbishops of Braga, and Maria Josefa Rosa de Almeida. At the age of 17, he entered the seminary but soon abandoned his religious studies due to a lack of vocation. He then turned to illustrating religious books and teaching music. In 1771, he married Luísa Clara Xavier, with whom he had four children. Two years later, in 1773, he was appointed Inspector of Public Works in Braga. In 1783, he became the chamberlain to Archbishop Gaspar de Bragança, which allowed him access to the archbishop's library, where he acquired architectural knowledge as a self-taught student. == Architectural Career ==

Early works in Braga Amarante's first architectural projects were carried out in Braga. These included the residences of Dr. Francisco Maciel Aranha and the Vilhena Coutinho family, as well as the presbytery of the . Following these commissions, he gained recognition and became one of Braga's leading architects in the late 18th century. São José das Taipas Church would later house a painting depicting the Porto Boat Bridge disaster, which took place in a bridge designed by Amarante. == Military Engineering Career ==

In 1789, after the death of his patron, Archbishop Gaspar de Bragança, Amarante began a military career. In 1792, he was appointed second lieutenant of the Royal Corps of Engineers and was tasked with drawing a topographical map from the Serra de Rio Maior to Leiria. He was promoted to first lieutenant in 1796 and, from 1799, was responsible for overseeing the construction of roads and bridges across Portugal. It was a pontoon bridge comprising 20 boats connected by iron ties, which could be opened to allow ships to pass through. This was the site of the Porto Boat Bridge disaster when the bridge partially collapsed as thousands of Porto residents fled invading French troops during the First Battle of Porto. In a prior plan from 1802, he had designed a single-arch stone bridge for the location, but the pontoon bridge design was chosen instead. == Death and legacy ==

In 1812, Amarante was dismissed from the Royal Corps of Engineers due to a military engineering reform. He died in Porto on 22 January 1815 and was buried in the Church of the Third Order of the Most Holy Trinity. In 1837, as no one had claimed his remains, they were transferred to the general ossuary of the Order of the Trinity in Agramonte Cemetery. ==Works==

• Bom Jesus do Monte - Braga • Pópulo Church - Braga • Hospital Church - Braga • São Gonçalo Bridge over the Tâmega River in Amarante • Boat Bridge - Porto • Rectorate of University of Porto - Porto • Trindade Church - Porto • Brejoeira Palace - Monção ==References==