José António Falcão

Until its extinction in 2017 it was responsible for the safeguard and care of the historical churches of the southern Alentejo, in Southern Portugal, operating in a 12 300 km2 area – the less populated of this country, but rich in religious monuments from the paleochristian period to the present.

He published multiple books on this subject-matter: As Vozes do Silêncio (The Voices of Silence) [1997], Entre o Céu e a Terra (Between Earth and Sky) [2000] and As Formas do Espírito (The Shapes of the Spirit) [2004]. Other essays published created bridges between Eastern and Western spiritual traditions and their reflections on aesthetic and artistic creations. His contributions to the scientific study of the artistic civilization of the Southwestern Iberian Peninsula gave evidence for the preservation of monuments and works of art.

Falcão was the head of the Department of Historical and Artistic Heritage of the Diocese of Beja from 1984 until its extinction in 2017 “Conservador-chefe de museus” (museums chief curator), he was also the organizer of the diocesan museums network of Beja.

The Historical and Artistic Heritage Department of the Diocese of Beja, in Portuguese Departamento do Património Histórico e Artístico da Diocese de Beja (DPHA), was a non profit organization created and directed by Falcão in 1984 with a group of volunteers from different backgrounds on various areas of the cultural heritage.

José António Nunes Mexia Beja da Costa Falcão (born 1961) is a Portuguese art historian, museum curator and educator born Lisbon.