Antarte designs and produces armchair for Pope Francis

Antarte created the armchair that will be used by Pope Francis during his official visit to Timor-Leste from September 9 to 11, 2024. This is the second time that Antarte has produced armchairs for the Popes, after having materialized the Benedict XVI.

 

 

The invitation to create this piece came from the President of the Republic of Timor-Leste and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, José Ramos-Horta, when he went to Portugal in April this year to officially inaugurate the Antarte Center and the Antarte Museum.

 

 

Pope Francis's armchair was completely designed by Antarte. Mário Rocha, who in addition to being CEO has the creative direction of the brand, defined the essential line of this project as respecting the timeless design that is the image of Antarte, creating a piece that expressed the Pope's institutional nobility and respected the Vatican's guidelines. The piece combines the mastery of artisanal production with cutting-edge technologies, both in Antarte's DNA. The brand used natural fibers, such as cotton and linen, for the fabrics used in the armchair's coverings. They were produced on a loom, showing respect for the knowledge of artisanal production. The insignia with the Vatican coat of arms placed at the top of the armchair's back was made using state-of-the-art 3D printing to obtain high definition in every detail of the coat of arms. The project involved a team of 14 professionals with diverse skills and more than 180 hours of work. An armchair was also created for the head of state of Timor-Leste. This personalized piece with the country's coat of arms is intended to be worn by José Ramos-Horta at the time of the official reception of Pope Francis.

 

 

This is the second chair created by Antarte for the Popes, after, in 2010, having produced the resting chair for Pope Benedict XVI, for the supreme pontiff's visit to Porto, on May 14 of that year. It was the first in a series of pieces created by Antarte for renowned national and international personalities, such as José Mourinho, the former President of the Republic Cavaco Silva or Mister Fernando Santos.

 

For Mário Rocha, founder and CEO of Antarte, «Mr. President of the Republic of Timor-Leste, Dr. José Ramos-Horta, to produce Pope Francis's armchair on the first official visit of a Pope to that country. A brand that is only 25 years old must feel enormous pride in having created personalized pieces for two Popes, in just over a decade. It is something that honors the name of Portugal and shows the exceptional quality of Antarte’s furniture, a brand with 100 percent Portuguese know-how.”