Mário Soares and Maria Barroso Foundation
In São Bento, the foundation set up by Mário Soares: archives, library and debates; no permanent exhibition.
Mário Soares and Maria Barroso Foundation – Lisbon headquarters
Founded by Mário Soares in 1991, the Mário Soares and Maria Barroso Foundation, which added Maria Barroso's name to its title in 2020, is devoted to preserving the social and cultural memory of contemporary Portugal and the Portuguese-speaking countries, and to promoting freedom, tolerance, solidarity and equality. Its headquarters on Rua de São Bento, a short distance from the Assembleia da República, house Mário Soares's study, the archives, the Mário Soares Library, an auditorium and event rooms, opening onto a garden designed by Gonçalo Ribeiro Telles. It is not a museum with a permanent exhibition: in Lisbon the public reaches the Foundation's heritage mainly through in-person consultation of documents, with research and reference support, and through the lectures, debates, presentations and educational activities held there, alongside occasional exhibitions. The entire documentary collection is freely available on the Casa Comum digital platform, which received a further 140,000 images in September 2026. The Foundation awards the Mário Soares Prize and runs the Casa-Museu João Soares in Cortes, Leiria, devoted to historical education and dialogue for citizenship. The Lisbon headquarters is open on weekdays; to consult the archives or attend events it is best to contact the staff beforehand.
Located at: Fundação Mário Soares e Maria Barroso
Address: Rua de São Bento, 176, 1200-821 Lisboa
Opening hours: Monday to Friday 09:30-13:00 and 14:00-18:00 (archive and library consultation and events; no permanent exhibition)
Phone: +351 213 964 179
Coordinates: 38.7127444, -9.1527926
Buses: 773, 706, 727, 22B, 67B, 19B, 713
Tram: 28E
Metro: Rato (Yellow)
Train: Cascais Line, Santos Station, Cascais Line, Cais do Sodré Station
Opened: 1991 (35 years)
