09/11/2025
The beautiful Carlos Relvas Chalet-Studio was built from scratch between 1871 and 1875 by the wealthy farmer and photographer Carlos Relvas as a monument to the forerunners of photography, with the sole purpose of housing a laboratory and studio specifically dedicated to the development of photography and its technology.
The house was built in the middle of a romantic garden and is an expressive monument of iron architecture and the revival of styles, such as Gothic and Moorish, that marked the era.
Carlos Relvas, born in Golegã in 1838 and inseparable from its history, was a pioneer of photography in Portugal.
He created a device to facilitate focusing, applied stereoscopic photography, and introduced and disseminated the phototype method in Portugal.
He was a remarkable photographer, both in the quality of image definition and in their artistic quality.
Golegã became known for horse breeding, which motivated, since the 19th century... XVI an annual event, the St. Martin’s Fair, today also the National Horse Fair, an event recognized internationally.