Career
He was one of a privileged few to be awarded a royal apprenticeship to study architecture under Nicolau de Frias in Lisbon’s Aula dos Paços da Ribeira, a school founded by Philip I of Portugal in 1584. His first commission as a royal architect was the reformation of the convent of Santa Clara, which was destroyed in 1755. He later worked on the church and convent of Santa Marta (1616-1636) and the church of Salvador (1616-1617), both were located in Lisbon and were well received by critics at the time, contributing to his prestigious reputation.
In 1622 he designed the sacristy of the monastery of Santa Cruz in Coimbra, which was completed in 1624.
A single barrel-vaulted space severe in appearance, offset by coloured marble decoration on the walls and azulejos (glazed tiles). In 1624, succeeding Baltasar Alvares, Tinoco took over work on Terzi’s Monastery of São Vicente de Fora (which was begun in 1582).
