José Martins Carneiro, who led the Palácio Nacional da Pena from 1983 to 2010, played a significant role in the elevation of the Cultural Landscape of Sintra to a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
“His name will remain inseparable from the monument to which he dedicated 27 years of work and thought,” stated Parques de Sintra in a public note of condolence.
With a degree in Philosophy, José Martins Carneiro (1952-2025) conducted research and published several studies on this heritage, notably “O Imaginário Romântico da Pena.”
In recent years, José Martins Carneiro worked at the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga (MNAA) in Lisbon, which remembered him as “a man of cultural heritage, to which he dedicated much of his life.”
In a social media statement, the MNAA considers Martins Carneiro one of the key figures behind the current recognition of the Palácio Nacional da Pena as “one of the most visited tourist destinations in Portugal.”
The municipality of Góis, in the Coimbra district, also mourned the death of José Martins Carneiro, recalling his distinction by the Portuguese Association of Museology and his active involvement in initiatives like the international exhibition Góis Arte.
José Martins Carneiro’s funeral takes place today in Lisbon.
