So eager to modernize, the 19th century’s rulers did not properly weigh up the potential effects of their disentailment policies, leaving a vast pool of church property unprotected. In the case of the Convent of Beato António, what the 1755 earthquake did not destroy, the expulsion of the friars did, and whatever was not later harnessed for industrial uses was left to languish until the late 20th century, when the decision was made to restore former monastic sites as convention centers.

In addition to near-invisible surgical operations to upgrade the refectory or the library, a new refurbishment has focused on the cloister of carved marble, where a badly insulated skylight has given way to a grid of trusses resting on the wings, which besides incorporating ventilators and being clad with acoustic material, conceal an air conditioning system to optimize comfort during the conferences and cocktails that have replaced chapter house meetings.