“This is a historic agreement with the Diocese of Viseu,” emphasised the Mayor, João Azevedo, welcoming “the full cooperation and commitment” the Diocese has shown towards the project.

The decision to create a hall of residence for higher education students at the Major Seminary followed the Viseu Council’s termination of its contract with the contractor responsible for the refurbishment of three buildings on Rua do Gonçalinho, intended for the same purpose.

The public tender for the “Functional Adaptation of the 3rd and 4th floors of the Viseu Seminary for Higher Education Student Accommodation.”

was launched on Friday, with construction anticipated to begin in the next quarter and completion targeted within twelve months, ultimately providing 75 beds.

“The deadlines are looming, and we have no time to lose. If we cannot implement plan A, we put plan B into action. That is what we did when we approached the Diocese of Viseu to carry out this project,” emphasised João Azevedo.

In this way, the local authority will be able to make timely use of funds from the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR) and “ensure that students who choose the municipality to continue their academic studies have a decent place to live, at affordable prices”.

At the end of 2025, Viseu Municipal Council terminated the contract with the contractor responsible for the works on Rua do Gonçalinho due to “failure to meet the deadline for completion of the works, which set 31 August 2026 as the deadline for completion and, consequently, for the full funding of the project”.

As it would not be possible to fulfil what was set out in the application, the municipality would have to return all funds already transferred by the PRR.

“In this way, and given that the part of the Major Seminary building earmarked for this accommodation does not require extensive structural work, we have been able to make use of the funds and create an equally suitable alternative for the young students,” assured João Azevedo.

The mayor emphasised that, with the adaptation of the two floors of the Major Seminary, it will be possible “to increase the capacity from 52 beds, which was initially stipulated for the project on Rua do Gonçalinho, to 75 beds, which is excellent”.

At the Municipal Assembly meeting in late February, João Azevedo had already announced that he was in negotiations with the Diocese of Viseu to create accommodation for higher education students at the Major Seminary, setting aside the Rua do Gonçalinho project.