José Saramago at Casa dos Bicos

Right here, beneath this olive tree in front of Casa dos Bicos, rests Portugal's only Nobel Prize winner for Literature. José Saramago, who received the world's most prestigious literary honor in 1998, chose this exact spot as his final resting place. Saramago was a novelist who wrote about human nature, politics, and society in ways that made people uncomfortable. His most famous works include "Blindness" and “The Gospel According to Jesus Christ.”

In 1992, the Portuguese government removed his novel "The Gospel" from a European literary prize, calling it offensive. Angry and disappointed, Saramago left Portugal and moved to the Canary Islands, refusing to return. He died there on June 18, 2010, at age 87. Exactly one year later, his ashes were brought to this building and buried under a century old olive tree from Azinhaga, the small village where he was born.

The tree symbolizes his roots and his return home after years away. Casa dos Bicos, the striking building with diamond shaped stones covering its facade, was built in 1523 by Brás de Albuquerque. His father was the Portuguese governor of India, and Brás designed this house inspired by Italian palaces he saw during his travels in Europe.