Casa dos Crivos, located on Rua de São Marcos, welcomed visitors again on Saturday, 19 September. The 17th-century building has returned to the city’s cultural programme as a municipal gallery, now offering improved conditions for exhibitions, artists and visitors.

Also known as Casa das Gelosias or Casa das Rótulas, the building is easily recognised by the wooden latticework covering its upper-floor windows. These structures protected the privacy of those living inside and were once common in Braga’s homes during the 17th and 18th centuries.

Casa dos Crivos is now one of the few remaining examples of this architectural style. It has been classified as a Property of Public Interest since 1971.

Braga City Council purchased the building in 1980 and later transformed it into a cultural venue. After years of hosting temporary exhibitions and visual arts events, it closed for extensive conservation, restoration and modernisation work.

Braga City Council invested €610,522.51 in the project, with €477,506.50 coming from the European Union through the NORTE 2030 programme. The renovation kept the building’s historic features, including its distinctive wooden latticework, while making the gallery more suitable for exhibitions and visitors.

Its reopening formed part of the 2026 edition of Encontros da Imagem, Braga’s international photography festival.

The first exhibition in the renovated space is Mãos na Terra, by Tânia Dinis. Through photography and archive materials, the artist explores the memories of women who worked in agriculture in the Minho region, along with the traditions, gestures and knowledge passed down through generations.

The exhibition can be visited until 1 November.