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The Lighthouse of Cabo Mondego (Farol do Cabo Mondego/Farol de Buarcos) is a lighthouse in the civil parish of Quiaios, municipality of Figueira da Foz, in the Portuguese district of Coimbra.

History
In 1758, the Marquis of Pombal ordered the publication of a license with the force of law, making the lighthouses an official organization, with the responsibility for their installation falling to the Board of Commerce. In 1835, the lighthouse service fell under the Ministeiro da Fazenda (Ministry of Finance), with its director Gaudêncio Fontana creating a workshop for the construction and repair of optical devices, operating in Jardim do Tabaco in Lisbon. On 8 August, an ordinance ordered the construction of a lighthouse along the cape of Mondego, by the Tribunal da Tesouro Público (Public Treasury Court), with the administration of Engineer Gaudêncio Fontana.

The first request to the government for a lighthouse to be built at Cabo Mondego was sent on 21 April 1836. The lighthouse service was passed to the Ministerio das Obras Publicas (Ministry of Public Works) in 1852, further delaying any work on the project. The first hydrographic map of the port and bar was surveyed by engineer Francisco Maria Pereira da Silva in 1853, and determined the best location for the construction of the lighthouse, but a decree ordering the necessary study for the construction of a lighthouse was only issued the following year. Engineer Francisco Silva prepared a report that he sent to Lisbon on 28 October, which refered to the land located close to the Buarcos mines as the preferred location for the urgent construction. The ordinance opening the competition for the construction of the lighthouse was issued in July 1855, but many of the proposals were not accepted due to higher expected budgets.

Reference to a lighthouse at Cabo Mondego, in the area of Buarcos, only appeared in 1857, with construction completed the following year, under the direction of Inácio Vielle.

In 1864, a commission chaired by hydrographic engineer Francisco Maria Pereira da Silva is appointed to study the transfer of the Lighthouse Service to the Ministério da Marinha (Ministry of the Navy). By 1902, a commission was appointed to review the general lighting and markings for the ports and coasts of the Kingdom and "adjacent islands" (Plano Geral de Alumiamento e Balizagem dos Portos e Costas Marítimas do Reino e Ilhas Adjacentes), stating that the Cabo Mondego lighthouse should be modified.

In 1916, a formal proposal was drawn up to change the location of the lighthouse, which was favorably dispatched by the Ministério da Marinha.As it is not possible to irrefutably ascertain the reasons that led to this decision. There was some speculation that these were favourable to the Empresa Exploradora das Minas, and that poor visibility had some influence on the decision to construct a new structure further to the north. For this reason, only a few ruins remain of the original lighthouse. Construction on the current structure was begun in 1917, and was completed by 20 November 1922, resulting in the closure of the older structure. As part of the concession of land for the new structure, the Empresa Industrial e Mineira (Industrial and Mining Company) demolished the older strucutre.

In 1928, an 3000 Watt incadescent blub was installed, powered by petroleum generators. A compressed air horn was only later (1941) installed at the site.

Between 1947 and 1949 a ligthouse operators' house and outbuildings were constructed by Comissão Administrativa das Novas Instalações (New Installations Administrative Commission) of the Ministery of the Navy.

1947 - electrification of the lighthouse, through connection to the public energy distribution network; 1950 – installation of a radio beacon; 1953 - replacement of the sound signal with a diaphone from the Barbier house; 1982 - installation of an electric motor to move the optical device, replacing the watchmaking machine; 1988 - automation of the headlight with the installation of a new sound signal and redundant mechanisms for rotating and replacing lamps; 1995 - installation of alarm repeaters for the lighthouse equipment; 2001 - deactivation of the radio beacon.

Architecture
The structure is situated in an isolated location, near the forest of Boa Viagem, on a hilltop 4 km southwest of the mouth of the Tagus River. Situated around the tower is the geodesic marker of Chibata, marking an altitude of 117.47 m, various rural residences and a windmill in ruins. To the northwest is the Convent of the Capuchos and the Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição, in addition to the lookout of Capuchos.

The structure is a 23 m water tank, constructed of reinforced concrete painted light yellow, over which is a cylindrical tower of smaller diameter, also in reinforced concrete, but painted like tile or adobe. The tower consists of a circular tube and lighthouse beacon, in addition to various telecommunication antennas. The portion associated with the water tank includes a fenestral radial, with a stone parapet, that includes three levels and decorated in hammered stone with doorway. The lighthouse beacon functions occasionally, with a range of 15 nmi.