History of the Liceu Nacional do Funchal

During the reign of D. Maria II, the Minister of the Kingdom, Passos Manuel, devised a plan for national high schools, which replaced the classes created by the Marquis of Pombal.
Passos Manuel, inspired by the French model of public and compulsory education, published the Decree on the Reform of Secondary Education, on November 17, 1836.

The Decree of November 17, 1836 determined the creation of a high school in each of the capitals of the Kingdom and Overseas. Its aim was to guarantee the technical and scientific training of young citizens, especially those who did not aspire to pursue higher studies. 

Passos Manuel's reform curriculum covered subjects from the humanistic areas and included new programs for the scientific areas. The proposed learning method was inductive and experimental, which led to the creation of spaces such as the Library, the Chemical Laboratory, divisions for Physics and Mechanics, Zoology and Mineralogy, and also an experimental garden for practical Botany classes. 

This decree also established the cost of attending high school, the qualifications and salary of teachers, as well as the forms of evaluation, inspection and teaching management.

Following the reform of Passos Manuel, the Liceu Nacional do Funchal opened on September 12, 1837 in an area of ​​the former Colégio dos Jesuítas, where Minor Studies classes, created by the Marquês de Pombal, were taught until then. 

The entrance was via Rua dos Ferreiros, which gave access to the ground floor, with three rooms, around an open courtyard, adjacent to the military garrison barracks. 

The facilities did not meet the architectural and pedagogical conditions stipulated in the decree. The State did not have the financial means to build new buildings. In reality, most of the high schools created at the time were installed in existing buildings.

The regulations for the new high school were announced through an edital published on September 17, 1837 in the Madeiran newspaper Flor do Oceano.  

Although the new curriculum includes 10 subjects, only 6 appear on the list in this edital. In fact, the subjects to be taught at the Liceu Nacional do Funchal did not include science classes due to lack of conditions, at least during its first decade of existence.  

This document also includes the enrollment conditions, the school calendar and the absence regulations.

The first enrollment at the Liceu Nacional do Funchal took place on September 26, 1837. Feliciano de Brito Correia, aged 19, signed up for the Grammatica Latina e Portugueza, Classicos Portuguezes e Latinidade, but ended up failing due to absences, according to the record in the institution's first enrollment book. However, he was not the only one, as in this opening year of the Lyceum, 43 boys enrolled, of which only 23 successfully completed the scool year.

The first solemn opening of the classes at Liceu took place on October 10, 1837, as stated in the minutes of the 3rd meeting of the Teachers' Council on October 2, 1837. The event was attended by the district's highest figures, as well as other guests and parents of enrolled students.

On October 29, 1837, the newspaper Flor do Oceano announced a public offer to fill a vacancy at Liceu for a teacher of Portuguese and Latin Grammar, Portuguese and Latin Classics, the one with the most enrollments. Candidates had to be at least 21 years old and present a medical certificate and residence certificate indicating good behavior. They also had to take an entrance exam.

Since the creation of Liceu, teachers have strived to organize a library for pedagogical-didactic uses. 

The institution's collection includes some books from the 19th century. One of the examples on display is the compendium Lições Elementares de Mathematica, from 1801, translated from French. This features original leather binding, and addresses Elements of Arithmetic, Elements of Algebra, Elements of Geometry, Rectiline Trigonometry, Spherical Trigonometry, Differential Calculus and Integral Calculus. Another example is the 9th edition of Logares Selectos dos Classicos Portuguezes nos Principaes géneros de Discurso em Prosa para Uso das Escolas, from 1866.

In 1838, Lourenço José Moniz, teacher of Oratory, Poetics, and Classical Literature, was appointed the Liceu's first effective rector. The rector, as the highest authority, was responsible for enforcing internal regulations and ensuring the primary function of “instructing, educating and moralizing young people”. Lourenço Moniz remained in the position for 12 years.

The disciplinary regulations of the Funchal high school, at the time designated Regulamento Policial was published in 1838. It established an intermediate punishment between reprimand and expulsion, which was detention. This punishment consisted of locking the student in a room for a period no longer than six hours, during which the student had to memorize a short “excerpt” from a moral education book. However, the Liceu did not have adequate space for this purpose. In order to execute the aforementioned punishment, a request was made to the Civil Governor for a room in the Jesuit College building, according to an official document.

The history of the institution is linked to the former student Jaime Constantino de Freitas Moniz, who enrolled for the first time at the Liceu Nacional do Funchal, in 1851, at the age of fourteen. 

On October 7, 1853, he renewed his enrollment in the subject of Portuguese and Latin Grammar and Latinity, as well as in the subject of Arithmetic, Geometry and Algebra. 

This student was later distinguished by leading the secondary education reform of 1894-95, known as the Jaime Moniz Reform.

In October 1858, Infante D. Luís, Duke of Porto, future king, arrived in Funchal in command of the corvette Bartolomeu Dias, for an expedition to the archipelagos of Madeira and the Azores. During this visit to Madeira, D. Luís visited the school.

On October 11th, Infante D. Luís, accompanied by the Civil Governor, was received at Liceu Nacional in Funchal. The rector, Marceliano Mendonça, gave a brief speech, to which Infante D. Luís responded, wishing prosperity for teaching on Madeira Island. He then visited the classrooms. In honor of this visit, a minute was drawn up, signed by the future king, who ascended the throne in 1861.

From 1881 to the 1930s

In 1881, Liceu moved to Casa do Barão de S. Pedro, a rented mansion on Rua dos Ferreiros, which offered more suitable conditions. However, due to the movement of students and rainwater infiltration, signs of wear became visible after two years, requiring several repairs.

The school remained in this location for more than 30 years, and during this period, in 1901, it received the name Liceu Nacional Central do Funchal, as it became part of the 6th and 7th year of the secondary secondary course.

The school's permanence in this mansion was also marked by the authorization for the optional use of school attire of cape and cassock by students at the Funchal Lyceum, similar to what was already happening in other high schools in the country. This authorization was granted through a letter from the Ministry of the Kingdom on February 22, 1889.

Academic attire made it possible to identify this school's students. 

In the photograph, twelve students from Liceu do Funchal pose in a cape and suit, at the Vicente photography studio.

In the 1909-10 school year, two enrollments of female members appeared for the first time: the one of Cecília Aguiar aged 14, born in Demerara, Guyana, and that of Alice Vasconcellos aged 13, born in Lisbon .  

Some students came from both the Portuguese mainland and the colonies and also from countries linked to Madeiran emigration. These students accompanied their parents, sometimes on service commissions, or returning to their homeland, after a period of emigration.

With the increase in the number of students, the physical and pedagogical conditions of Casa do Barão de S. Pedro, on Rua dos Ferreiros, worsened, requiring another change of facilities. 

In December 1913, the school was transferred to the old Episcopal Palace, Rua do Bispo, in a busy commercial area. The building had four floors, but given the growing number of students, it was necessary to rent rooms in neighboring buildings. The adjacent space also turned out to be insufficient for recreation and sports facilities.

In this building, on Rua do Bispo, the classrooms were equipped with a platform, desk and teacher's chair, chalkboard with pointer and maps on the wall. The students sat on benches, on the back of which there were table tops that passed for desks.

The construction to adapt the building to its school purpose was never carried out due to lack of funds.

The courtyard was nicknamed “fence” and was a leisure space, where photographs of groups of students and teachers were also taken. This area currently corresponds to a significant part of Praça do Município.

In the Government Gazette, dated January 13, 1919, the Ministry of Public Instruction promulgated the change of the name of the high schools. Names of great individuals, bearers of civic, moral and intellectual virtues, were attributed. 

In the instance of Liceu do Funchal, in honor of its former student and illustrious Madeiran, the name given was Liceu Central de Jaime Moniz.

Jaime Moniz, after finishing high school in Funchal, continued his Law studies in Coimbra. 

He worked in the areas of law and teaching and held political positions. He was distinguished by the educational reform of 1894-95, known as Reforma Jaime Moniz. This reform was marked by changes in programmes, methodologies and assessment, as well as in the administration and organization of high schools.

Ângelo Augusto da Silva was the rector who most stood out in his position, between 1930 and 1966.

He was born in São Vicente, in 1896, and is pictured on the left, aged 6, as per the fashion of the time. He studied at Liceu Jaime Moniz and later graduated in Mathematics from the University of Coimbra. In 1923, he began teaching Mathematics at this school.

The rector Ângelo Augusto da Silva is portrayed, in the center, flanked by other individuals, with the seventh-year students from the 1931-32 academic year, wearing suit and cape, at Estúdio Vicente.

After the appointment of Ângelo Augusto da Silva as rector, several measures were implemented. 

On the left is the student's interim information card, taken from the 1932-33 yearbook.

The aim of this document was to promote communication between the school and the family, involving the parents in the school life of their students, bringing them to school on the days and times set by the class directors.

In the school year 1931/1932, after an inspection, a commission of doctors concluded that the school building on Rua do Bispo was unfit and posed a risk to the health of students and teachers. 

Em 1933, a Junta Geral do Distrito, formou uma comissão, constituída pelo reitor, Ângelo Augusto da Silva, pelo diretor de Obras Públicas, o Eng.º Abel Vieira, e pelo médico escolar do liceu, o Dr. William Clode, a fim de indicar terrenos para a construção de um novo edifício liceal.

The minutes of the first meeting, on September 26th, state that the presidency would be the responsibility of the rector, and that the architect Edmundo Tavares, teacher at Escola Industrial do Funchal, would become part of the committee. The intention to visit prospective building site is also mentioned, and to advertise in the newspapers the purchase of more than 12,000 square meters in the city, for the future construction of the High School.

Durante os anos 30, o arquiteto Edmundo Tavares projetou os alçados principal, posterior e lateral direito do Liceu Jaime Moniz. O edifício foi desenhado numa volumetria despojada de decorações, no estilo Português Suave. Este define-se como uma arquitetura resultante da conciliação entre as novas técnicas de engenharia,  com a utilização de estruturas em betão e  sistema de laje, pilar e viga, associadas a elementos da construção tradicional como, por exemplo, a telha vermelha e a cantaria.

This drawing of the main elevation of the Liceu de Jaime Moniz, shows, on the left, the main entrance with a clock, followed by the drawing of the three floors referring to the current rooms on the ground floor, first and second floors, facing Rua do Arcipreste. At the far right of the elevation, we can see a square, intended for the placement of the Portuguese shield in stonework, one of the nationalist symbols present in the public buildings of the Estado Novo.

From the 1930s to the 1960s

The choice of land benefited from a decisive factor which was the free transfer, by the State, of the building and land occupied by the military hospital, located in the lower part of the city. The State also authorized the expropriation of adjacent lands until the necessary area was achieved.

The photograph shows the visit of several individuals to the initial building of Liceu, which began in 1940.

In this image from 1942, the construction of the main entrance to the staircase at the Liceu gate is evident.

During Estado Novo, new high schools were designed to be at a higher level in relation to the public road, with access via staircases and intermediate courtyards, usually landscaped. The separation from the outside was achieved through walls and gates, with wrought iron railings.

School services were set up in the first days of October 1942. However, there was work going on in the physics, chemistry and natural sciences offices, as well as in the drawing and crafts rooms. The canteen, gym, locker room and facilities for male and female students still needed to be completed. Work on the playing field and paths was also far from finished.

According to the table published in the 1942-1943 yearbook, the year classes began in the new building, 217 boys and 96 girls were enrolled, in different years of schooling. 

When there were two classes in a given year, the students were placed in class A, alongside the younger and more diligent students. Classes B were made up of boys only. 

The 1942-43 yearbook contains a table with the subjects taught in years 6 and 7 of high school, equivalent to the current years 10 and 11. It contains the subjects of the Science variant, with the weekly times and the names of the respective teachers. In year 6, the largest workload was for Portuguese-Latin, and in year 7 for the subjects of Philosophy and Mathematics. 

Liceu Funchal began operating in 1942, but the official inauguration took place in 1946, after the completion of the building and the acquisition of school furniture. 

The minutes on the right refer to the official inauguration of the new building and playing field, on May 28, 1946, the commemorative date of the 1926 Military Coup.

The inauguration ceremony, with numerous guests, was marked with the traditional cutting of the ribbon, at the entrance to the building, and the unveiling of the stone tombstone by the Civil Governor of the District. Then there was a formal session in the gym, in which several entities spoke. After a visit to the playing field, the Drawing, Crafts and Crafts exhibition opened. The ceremony ended with a Festa de Educação Física e Canto Coral da Mocidade Portuguesa.

In the photograph on display, there's the main facade, after the completion of the construction.

In terms of construction, it should be noted that local stone was used for the exterior walls and, in most of the interior rooms, cement blocks. Traditional tiles on a wooden frame were used on the roof. Both the wooden floors in the rooms and the mosaics in the corridors and balconies were set on reinforced cement slabs. Chestnut wood was used for the window frames and ledges.

The 1946 plan shows the different areas of the Liceu with their respective captions. The central body is occupied by the services of the rectory, secretariat, school doctor's office, library, among others, considered the most important. 

The separation of facilities, depending on the cycles and gender, female or male, is one of the hallmarks of this architectural model. With the increase in female attendance, new gender spaces emerged, such as the crafts room and areas reserved for female students. 

Although not visible on the plan, there is an attic for storage and a basement where the center of the Mocidade Portuguesa Masculina was located, as foreseen in the 1938 architectural model for high schools.

In 1946, the General Council of the Autonomous District of Funchal published the reprint, authored by the rector Ângelo Augusto da Silva. This section, with a detailed description of the Liceu, reproduces the text already published in the magazine Liceus de Portugal, from March 1946.  

Firstly, the library stands out, with period furniture and wooden supports for the books.

In the second picture, the area identified as Museum, located in a transit area, accessible to all students, as foreseen in the architectural plan of the Estado Novo high schools. This gallery was occupied by showcases with preserved animals, as support to Science classes. 

Thirdly, an image of the Chemistry office is presented, with the teacher's table, the work tables with slate tops, the gas installation, the electrical sockets and other materials for carrying out the practical part. 

This photograph shows what the rectory looked like in mid-1940s. 

In the rectory there were two antique tables, brought from the old high school, and a cabinet with locks, purchased and restored, as well as other furniture of the same style. The doors are made of Brazilian mahogany and the flooring is made of sicupira parquet. 

On the wall, the crucifix, offered in 1940 by the National Commissariat of Portuguese Women's Youth, demonstrates the connection between the Estado Novo and the Catholic religion.

In the school year 1946-47, the rector Ângelo Augusto da Silva, the teachers and students from the 1st cycle of high school were photographed on the stairs at the main entrance of the Liceu. 

In 1946, 220 boys and 131 girls enrolled in the 1st cycle. The classes were, as a rule, female or male, however, that year, 2 mixed classes were formed in this cycle. 

Classes were assigned the letters A, B, C or D.

This plan, approved by the Pedagogical and Disciplinary Council, on January 30, 1947, included study visits to Liceu Jaime Moniz.

The visits aimed to get students in contact with the surrounding reality, in order to complete the teachings of the classes.

The plan includes visits to the Seminary Museum, the Municipal Library, the Analysis Laboratory, to Radio Marconi, to Olaria Funchalense, the Milling Factory, the Embroidery Section of Casa Leacock, the Hinton Alcohol and Sugar Factory, the Kindergarten Campo Almirante Reis, among others.

Visits and excursions, inside and outside Funchal, were guided and accompanied by teachers.

In this notebook, from school year 1947-48, the History content for year 3 of secondary education was recorded. On the back of the cover, there are rules for its use, such as: the numbering of the pages, the lesson summary, highlighted in a rectangle in red, the record of notes and homework, the attached test sheets, etc.

Notebooks were considered an indicator of student achievement. They were also used as a vehicle of communication with the parents, who should initial the information. The absence of this signature, or the school notebook, resulted in the student being marked absent. 

Notebooks were sold at the High School and had different colors, depending on the year the student attended.

The booklet on display, dated 1953, contains a record of registrations in study rooms and respective payments. The study rooms, paid monthly by enrolled students, were used as bonus funds for teachers, depending on the sums collected and the service provided. The most disadvantaged students were granted half or total exemption from payment.

A photograph from May 1959 shows class A of year 4 high school, in the female section, with their respective teachers. 

In high schools with mixed attendance, as was the case at Liceu Jaime Moniz, there was gender separation. 

In 1948, it was established that all female students would wear a knee-length white coat.

On the white coats, in the upper right corner, emblems identifying the year, class and number of students were sewn. The color of the emblem varied depending on the year, as can be seen in this poster with emblems from the 1950s.

In this picture, a male class is observed, with their respective teacher, in a room on the ground floor. Some students wear a suit and tie, others wear a shirt and pullover or suede. 

Wooden tables are single-person, with space under the top to place material. It should be noted that the first one-person and two-person desks were ordered by the rectory in 1932.

The image depicts year 7 high school class, in the school year 1959-60. These classes were mixed, unlike the other cycles.

The Physics and Chemistry class takes place in the amphitheater, equipped with a platform with a slate-topped work table. The student tables are two-person and came from the previous installations. Called “carteiras modelo Funchal” were made specifically for this High School. They were made of mahogany, with an iron frame, a fixed seat and a movable top with rubber shock absorbers.