The former Quinta de Barreiros, now Quinta dos Cónegos, is a property that has stood out since the 18th century, after its acquisition by Gaspar de Andrade Macedo. The chapel of the Sagrada Familia (1681) still remains from the previous property.

The Quinta dos Cónegos house was built between 1727 and 1737, in the Baroque style and strongly influenced by the Nasoni school. Several sculptural elements expressive of the Baroque style have been preserved from the same period, attributed to Nasoni (Smith 1966). As it is common for religious figures linked to the Chapter of the Cathedral of Porto to be present and stay there for long periods, and it was even owned by, among others, Manuel Pinheiro de Aragão, canon of the Cathedral, the property acquired its current name.

In the mid-twentieth century, after its acquisition by Afonso Henriques de Sobral Mendes, commander, mayor of Peñafiel from 1946 to 1954 (Alves and Barbosa 2016) and industrialist from Minas Gerais, the property acquired new notoriety. And it was with his son, João Cavaleiro Sobral Mendes, that the house was enlarged to its current configuration. After the fire that occurred in 1991, the property was acquired by the Espírito Santo group and, later, rehabilitated by the Ricardo do Espírito Santo Silva Foundation.

The restoration and decoration project was by architect António Pinto Leite, in co-authorship with architect Pais de Figueiredo and engineer Santos Farinha. Under the auspices of FRESS, the house regained its splendor and now houses the Foundation’s best collections. In 2017, Quinta dos Cónegos was acquired by the Maia City Council.