Manuel António Gomes

Father Manuel António Gomes (born December 9, 1868 in Cendufe , Arcos de Valdevez , Viana do Castelo district , Portugal , † December 21, 1933 in Viana do Castelo , Portugal), was a Portuguese clergyman and inventor. He is considered one of the fathers of solar energy use .

Live and act

When he was 15, he entered Coimbra seminary , which was known for its openness to science. His fellow students called him " Himalaya " because of his unusual size for a Portuguese , which was then also his stage name and remained as "Pater Himalaya". He continued his - especially natural science - studies in Paris . In 1891 he was ordained a priest. In 1906 he returned to Lisbon .

From 1925 to 1932 he lived in the USA and then in Argentina . He returned to his homeland in 1933, where he died on December 21 in Viana do Castelo at the age of 65.

A street in Lisbon is named after him.

Inventions

Padre Himalaya and its most famous invention (1900)

Father Gomes was particularly interested in solar energy. In 1888 in Paris in a magazine he heard about the first failed attempts by French scientists to find solutions for solar energy. That gave him the idea to take action himself. As early as 1890 he invented a "solar concentrator" for agriculture in Portugal, a device that was 7 meters long and generated heat of 1500 degrees Celsius through solar radiation . It has been patented but only used in agriculture in Portugal.

In 1900 came the invention that made him world-famous: the pyrheliophero (Greek for "He who brings fire"), a device that was also used in the USA and Great Britain and was patented there as well - as in Portugal . At the World Expo 1904 in St. Louis this device was presented at the Portuguese Pavilion and was considered one of the sensations of the world exhibition. For this he received two gold medals and one silver medal. He was also awarded the "Great Prize of Louisiana Purchase Exposition". The device had thousands of mirrors, covered an agricultural area of 80 m² and generated heat from the sun of 4000 degrees Celsius.

His other important invention was a new type of gunpowder, "Himalayan gunpowder", which no longer produced smoke and which did not explode even with strong impacts and high temperatures. To summarize and explain his inventions again, he wrote a book about them.

Ideas for a better Portugal

Father Himalaya was a vegetarian and very fond of water science and naturopathy . In the region around Amarante , he tried naturopathy to heal many sick people and to create an alternative to conventional medicine .

He also developed the thesis that regular diets would make people more peaceful and serve public health.

His theses - if they were implemented in Portugal - would have radically changed the country and modernized it very much, sometimes making it a very world-leading country. He had various theories about agriculture, economics, energy, politics and earthquake safety.

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personal data
SURNAME	Gomes, Manuel António
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Portuguese clergyman and inventor
DATE OF BIRTH	December 9, 1868
PLACE OF BIRTH	Cendufe , Arcos de Valdevez, Viana do Castelo District, Portugal
DATE OF DEATH	December 21, 1933
Place of death	Viana do Castelo , Portugal