Quinta de Santo António da Juncosa
THE ABANDONED FARM IN PORTUGAL
Nestled in Rio de Moinhos, Portugal, the Quinta de Santo António da Juncosa is a place shrouded in mystery and intrigue. It has been abandoned for some years and has been the center of urban legends.
The farm is more accurately described as a manor house. The story goes that its more than 1000 years old, but our visit proved otherwise. The so-called medieval tower is from a much later date, along with other architectural features that date back only to the 15th or 16th centuries. The tiles on the walls are manufactured in the early 20th century by the Fábrica das Devezas.
The haunting of the Barão das Lages
This old farm was the property of baron Luis de Lencastre Carneiro de Vasconcelos. He was titled Baron of Lajes. The baron and his wife Maria Júlia are the center of an urban legend. The story goes that the baron suspected his wife had a lover. The legend goes that he dragged her with a rope behind his horse until she died. In a shock, he later murdered his children and committed suicide. But genealogical records reveal that the Barão died in 1933 and his wife in 1955, with their children continuing their lineage. This alone disproves any tale of a murderous rampage.
Seventy years
Today, the Quinta de Santo António da Juncosa stands in a state of disrepair, a shadow of its former self. According to an elderly neighbor, the property has been vacant for over seventy years. The lands and buildings were once leased to a large family, who now seem determined to claim ownership, thereby preventing the rightful heirs from restoring or benefiting from the estate.
