Lisbon Cathedral

            The Lisbon Cathedral

 The Cathedral can be found near Praça do Comercio in the Alfama Quarter.
 The original building dates back to the 12th century when the troops of King Afonso Henriques took back Lisbon from Moorish hands, although the present one was rebuilt after the 1755 Lisbon Earthquake according to most of the original characteristics.

Exterior

 The Exterior of the Cathedral ( Sé Catedral ) is extremely sober and it resembles a small castle with it’s battlements and  two defensive towers. That’s because in the 12th century all religious buildings also had to serve as fortresses given the context of the Reconquista. Again the fortified Romanesque design of the Cathedral and the near absence of windows remind us that it was built in a war period.

Interior

 The interior of the Lisbon Cathedral is dark due to the absence of windows and very spartan like the exterior.

 To the left you will find the Baptismal Chapel with tiles depicting some of Saint Anthony’s miracles. It was in this baptismal font that the Saint was baptized, he was born just a few meters down the street where Saint Anthony’s Church is today. He is known as Saint Anthony of Padua because it was the place where he died, although he was born in Lisbon.

 To the right of the Main Altar you will find Saint Vincent’s Chapel with paintings related to his life. Saint Vincent is the patron saint of Lisbon and his symbols are a boat and two crows.

The Cloister

 The entrance to the cloister is paid and there you can see archaeological diggings showing remains since the Roman to the Medieval periods.

Guided Tour in Lisbon

 If you would like a guided tour in Lisbon or if you are planning a self guided tour here’s some helpful information.

Places To Visit in Lisbon

Belem Quarter – This is one of the most interesting quarters in Lisbon, here you can visit the Jeronimos Monastery from which the Monument to the  Discoveries and the Belem Cultural Centre are in walking distance. Nearby you also have the Tower of Belem one of the worldwide symbols of Lisbon.

The Baixa – This area is close to the centre of Lisbon, here you can go shopping and visit the squares constructed after the 1755 earthquake, namely (Praça = Square) Praça do Comercio, Praça do Rossio, Praça da Figueira ( Lisbon trams ) and Praça dos Restauradores.

Alfama – This is the oldest quarter in the city and with the Cathedral, Saint George’s Castle and Saint Anthony’s Church nearby it is definately a good place to make a tour. Something that is often done is a walk through the narrow streets of Alfama but i do not recommend you do this without a guide, it is confusing and you might find yourself in some awkward places.

Nations Park (Parque das Nações) - This is the newest part of Lisbon and it is a fantastic leisure site. It has lots of green areas, the Tagus River and the Vasco da Gama Bridge near by, a nice shopping centre and last but definitely not least the modern architecture of the entire area is extremely beautiful.

If you like Football / Soccer don’t forget to visit Benfica Stadium which is my personal favourite and they make guided tours there to the museum. You can also take the mandatory photo next to Eusebio’s statue.

Portuguese Phrases

Learning how to say Portuguese phrases can be important, although most people understand English here’s a few helpful ones that you might use if you travel to Portugal.

Lets start with the basic:
Hello – Olá (olah)
Goodbye – Adeus
Thank You – Obrigado
If you please – Por favor
Yes – Sim
No – Não (Naum)
I/Me – Eu (Heo)
I want / need – Eu quero / preciso
Can you – Pode
Go – Ir
To – Para
Where is – Onde fica
Hotel – Hotel
Airport – Aeroporto
Boat – Barco
Harbour – Doca / Porto

Now lets try to conjugate a few words:
I want to eat – Eu quero comer
I don’t want that – Eu não quero isso
I would like to – Eu gostava de
How can i go to – Como posso ir para
Can i use your bathroom? – Posso usar a sua casa de banho?
I need to be at – Preciso de estar na(f) / no(m)
I would like a bottle of water please – Eu quero uma garrafa de água por favor.

If the word or phrase you are looking for is not listed write a comment with your question and I will answer.

Lisbon History

The Early Ages

 Lisbon was first settled in 1200 B.C. by the Phoenicians, a powerful civilization from the south and west coasts of the Mediterranean Sea.
 The ancient Greeks referred to Lisbon as Olissipo, the city founded by Ulysses after departing Troy.
 Our direct ancestors were the Lusitanians, guided by the Lusitanian hero Viriatus we fought bravely against the Romans but after his murder Lusitania was later integrated in the Roman Empire along with Lisbon.
 In the 7th century the city was occupied by the Moors who were Arabs from North Africa and The Middle East. They left behind influences in our art, architecture and in the Portuguese language, amongst other things.

Portuguese Lisbon

 In 1147 a combined force led by our first King Afonso Henriques conquered the city and it became part of the recently formed Portugal.
 In 1255 Lisbon became the Portuguese Capital due to its central location and its large and important river, the Tagus.

 In the 16th century the city became one of the most important and wealthiest ones in the world. The gold from Brazil and spices from the Far East brought an incredible dynamic to the city. Able seaman like Vasco da Gama and Pedro Alvares Cabral skillfully guided our caravels across the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

The 1755 Earthquake

 The 1755 Lisbon earthquake brought unimaginable destruction and death to the city. Today’s geologists estimate that it reached 9 in the Richter Scale (the maximum is 10) making it the strongest earthquake recorded in history.
 Lisbon had 255.000 inhabitants at the time, almost 90.000 died.
 The Marquis of Pombal took swift measures to bring the city back on it’s feet and the Lisbon “Baixa” is a direct result of his administrative skills.

The Carnation Revolution: 25th of April 1974

 The 25th of April was a military-led coup d’état that overthroned the dictatorship that ruled Portugal for 41 years. It became known as the Carnation Revolution because the people who stormed the streets of Lisbon placed red carnations in the muzzles of the regime soldiers and convinced them to not resist. Four people died during the revolution.

 

Jeronimos Monastery

                   Introduction

The Jerónimos Monastery is located in the Belém quarter in Lisbon.
The construction started in 1502 by order of King Manuel, to serve as his family’s pantheon, and lasted for about 100 years.
It is considered the most beautiful and important construction in Manueline style. As the name suggests it was created during King Manuel’s reign and it is connected to the Portuguese Age of Discoveries by the use of maritime and vegetalist motifs.
The monastery was kept by Hyeronimite Monks (Monges Jeronimos) from the order of Saint Jerome.

South Portal

 A guided tour usually starts at the beautiful Jeronimos south portal (the one facing the Tagus River) is thoroughly decorated with vegetalist motifs and statues like the ones of the 12 apostles, Henry the Navigator above the two doors, Our Lady of Belém and St. Michael the Archangel at the top.

West Portal

The West portal is the entrance to the church, it is decorated with two statues:
King Manuel on the left with Saint Jerome his Patron Saint.
On the right, Queen Mary with her patron Saint John the Baptist.

Inside the Church

 You enter the Jeronimos Church through the Low Choire where you can see the Chapel of “Nosso Senhor dos Passos” on the left, decorated with gilt carved wood and paintings with symbols of Christ’s martyrdom.
 The Baptismal Chapel is on the right, inside you can see a statue of St. Anthony and the baptismal font decorated with vegetalist motifs in the centre.

 Next to the baptismal chapel you will find the tomb of Luis Vaz de Camões, the most important Portuguese poet of all times and the father of the Portuguese language.
 In the opposite side is the tomb of Vasco da Gama, the Portuguese navigator who found the sea route from Europe to India in 1498.

 Now in one of the Jeronimos Church three vessels you will be able to see the beautiful complex net vaulting that withstood the 1755 Lisbon earthquake.

Transept

In the left arm of the transept you can find the tombs of Cardenal Henrique (in the centre) and the ones of King Manuel’s family.
In the right arm there are the tombs of King John the 3rd’s family and in the centre the symbolic tomb of King Sebastian.

Main Chapel

The Manerist Main Chapel of the Jeronimos Monastery is decorated with a silver tabernacle from the 17th century and paintings with scenes from the Passion of Christ and the worship of the Three Wise Men. Here you will also find the tombs of K. Manuel and Q. Maria on the left, and the tombs of K. John the 3rd and Q. Catherine on the right.