Gift from the Gulbenkian Foundation
By Manuel Luciano da Silva, Medical Doctor

It was on Sunday, October 13th, 1963, that the cofferdam for Dighton Rock was inaugurated in Berkley, Massachusetts.  For centuries this boulder monument had been covered and protected by tidal water on the left margin of the Taunton River. With the cofferdam the rock was elevated 11 feet and placed on dry land. From that date on,  it became protected only by a fence like a chicken coop and therefore was exposed to extreme temperatures  during the summer and in the winter, and also at the mercy of vandalism by throwing stones, bottles  of coca cola, etc. It broke my heart every time I went there!

For ten long years I fought for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to approve funds  for  the construction of a building protecting this monument. Finally  a Pavilion was constructed which was inaugurated in  November  of 1974. More than five thousand people attended this great celebration. We had the  band of Our Lady of Light from Fall River  and even the  folklore group “Os Lusitanos”.

But I was not satisfied just with the completion of the Pavilion. We needed another building to complete the Dighton Rock Museum.  I continued to use all my  political maneuvering and finally I was able to get the help of Mr. John Long, Chairman of the Ways and Means of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,  who was able to have a Bill approved  for the construction of another  contiguous building. Here is the Law approved by the House do Representatives, the Senate and sign by the Governor:

"The Department of Natural Resources is hereby authorized and directed to construct a building at the Dighton Rock State Park in the town of Berkley for the purpose of displaying objects associated with Dighton Rock and with the history of  Portuguese  and other landings, explorations and settlements in the area."

This Bill was of  double importance.  It mandated the construction of a  building and  at the same time specified,  by name,  that the Museum had to have artifacts related to the Portuguese Discoveries!  This was a great victory, whereby the State Law singled out the Portuguese!   

While the Museum was being constructed I decided to write letters  requesting gifts of  historical and maritime artifacts  from:

(1)   President of the Gulbenkian Foundation, Dr. Azeredo Perdigão = Padrão of Portuguese Discoveries.

(2)   Admiral  Tengarrinha Pires, President of the Corte Real Committee of the Portuguese Geographic Society of Lisbon = Model of the Nau São Gabriel of Vasco da Gama

(3)   The King of Spain, Don Juan Carlos = Caravel Victória of Fernão de Magalhães.

We were able to obtain all the three gifts described above which  continued to be in display inside of the Dighton Rock Museum.  

 

Dr. AzeredoPerdigão

I sent Dr. Azeredo Perdigão, President of the Gulbenkian Foundation,  a letter with a copy of my book "Portuguese Pilgrims and Dighton Rock" and a drawing of a Padrão, or Portuguese Discovery Marker, requesting  it as a gift, to be displayed inside of the  Dighton Rock Museum.  We wanted the Padrão to be made in Portugal by special professional masons.

Dr. Azeredo Perdigão, the first 
President of the Gulbenkian Foundation

We were very pleased when we received a letter from Dr. Perdigão informing us that our request had been granted! The Padrão was done in Portugal  and sent to us  by air and since (1978) has been on displayed  inside of the Dighton Rock Museum. It weights 914 kilograms. It came in three separate boxes parks. It was assembled in loco.

My wife bought  a reddish cloth to  be used  as a background  to contrast with the whitish marble.  The visits to the Museum as very well impressed with the beauty and historical meaning of the Padrão. At base of the monument there is this label:

Padrão
Portuguese Discovery Marker
Gift from the Gulbenkian Foundation
Lisbon, Portugal.

Compass Rose is the center of the museum proper.  Padrão is between both doors leading to the Pavilion  where the Dighton Rock is preserved  in a glass enclosure

A close up
 of the Padrão

This is the head of the Padrão. Notice the proportion of the Cross of the Order of Christ in relationship to the rest of the body of the Padrão.  The general dimensions and the drawing  characteristics of this Padrão were done by Francisco Dias, an architect designer,  guided  my specifications. This Padrão is the most balanced that there is in the Portuguese World.  

This is the Portuguese Coat of Arms "V" shaped.  Please, notice the minute detail and the artistic value of  this monument carved on marble! 

 

I was very pleased that Dr. Azeredo Perdigão and his wife (a distinguished pianist) gave us the great pleasure of visiting  (a few years later),  the Dighton Rock Museum and see their gift inside of the Dighton Rock Museum.

Also we had the pleasure  and honor of the visit of Dr. José Blanco, now the Administrator of the Gulbenkian Foundation,  in Lisbon, Portugal.  I know that Dr. Blanco  was instrumental in the favorable decision for the gift of the Padrão. We want to express  here  publicly our  sincere thanks  to Dr. Blanco.

Information about the Gulbenkian Foundation.  Mr. Calouste Gulbenkian  was born in Scutari (Turkey) in 1869. Yet he is referred to as an Armenian oil magnate. He became to be known as "Mr. Five Per Cent" because he was granted 5 per cent in four major oil companies including British Petroleum and Shell.  He was multimillionaire

Mr. Calouste Gulbenkian, founder and Patron o
f the  Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon, Portugal

He had a passion for collecting  works of art.  Because he suffered from bronchitis, during the II World War,  he moved  from London, England, to Lisbon, Portugal as neutral country,  and also because of the mild climate which was  excellent for his pulmonary ailments.  He fell in love with Portugal. Curiously his first name Calouste means Welcome, or Benvindo! A positive name indeed!

 He died in 1955 and left all his fortune, including his many art precious artistic artifacts to a Foundation to have its headquarters in Lisbon, Portugal, to be dedicated to charity and also to the sponsoring of scholarships of sciences and the arts.  The Gulbenkian Foundation has done a marvelous job for the betterment of Portuguese and Armenian peoples. 

Since its establishment the Gulbenkian Foundation built a new  headquarters in the central of Lisbon - Avenida de Berna - (Tel. 21-793-5131)  and also a Museum of Fine Arts, one of the best in Portugal and even all over  Europe. 

It has original  artistic pieces as far back as 4,000 years of Classical Mesopotamian and Egyptian. It has Oriental Islamic Art and Far East Art. European Art  (14th to 17th Centuries), French 18th century Decorative Arts and even European Art (18th -19th Centuries).  

The Museum is a jewel and if you visit Lisbon make it a must to see it. I am sure you will enjoy it. Very well balanced  and in excellent  taste. Besides  its entrance is the lowest of all the Museums in Lisbon.

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