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There are dozens of churches in Lisbon.
But only one can claim to be the oldest.
The Cathedral of Lisbon. Sé de Lisboa.
Once conquered by the Moors, Lisbon remained under Arab control for four centuries. In 1147, when the city was reconquered by King Afonso Henriques and North European crusaders, a new cathedral was built on the site of the main mosque of Lisbon.
From its earliest years, the cathedral was entwined in Portugal’s history, bearing witness to the baptism, marriage and passing of Portugal’s nobility and elite. Originally constructed in the Late Romanesque style, the cathedral was renovated many times over the years and survived earthquakes requiring repair and reconstruction resulting in contrasting architectural styles. At the end of the 13th century, King Dinis of Portugal had a Gothic cloister built, the main chapel was converted in to a royal pantheon and the relics of St. Vincent of Saragossa, the patron saint of Lisbon were brought to the cathedral from southern Portugal.
Classified as a National Monument since 1910, the cathedral attracts thousands of visitors every year.
On this day, I was going to be one of them.
As I entered the fortress-like facade, with its two large clock towers and massive solid walls, I ran my hand over the large wooden doors passing through into the interior. The first thing I noticed, however, was how dark the cathedral appeared. Though the second story of the ambulatory has a series of windows and the narrow windows of the lateral aisles allow light to enter, the church appeared to be much more gloomy than others I have visited.
Dodging other visitors, we made our way toward the front of the church admiring the rose window in the West facade and the interesting barrel vaulting of the nave.
Especially interesting were the chapels, one especially enclosed by a Romanesque gate. Others include a funerary chapel, near the entrance of the cathedral, built by wealthy merchant Bartolomeu Joanes in the 14th century which still contains his tomb with his laying figure inside.
There are other tombs within the cathedral, including three in the Gothic style from the mid-14th century. One belonging to Lopo Fernandes Pacheco, 7th Lord of Ferreira de Aves, a nobleman at the service of King Afonso IV, appears in a laying pose, holding a sword and is guarded by a dog. His wife, Maria de Vilalobos, appears over her tomb reading a Book of Hours. The third tomb contains the remains of an unidentified royal princes. All are decorated with coats-of-arms.
At the end of the 13th century, King Dinis of Portugal ordered the construction of a Gothic-style cloister. The cloister was damaged, along with many chapels and the royal pantheon during the earthquake of 1755. Since renovated, the cloisters can be visited today, however, when we visited, it was Sunday and they had not yet opened for the afternoon. I was truly disappointed as I understand, the tile work is simply amazing and it offers some of the most beautiful architecture in the city. Additionally, we were not able to visit the Treasury as it is also closed on Sunday.
So, no cloisters and no treasury. Since it was my first visit to the ancient city, there was much more to discover, including the castle, so there was no time to wait for the opening of either.
The cathedral, however, cannot be overlooked for its stunning beauty. On my next trip to Lisbon, a return visit will be in order to see what the cloisters have to offer. An update will surely be in order.
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Lisbon Cathedral
- https://www.patriarcado-lisboa.pt/site/
- Address: Largo da Sé, 1100-585 Lisboa, Portugal
- Hours: Cathedral, 0700-1900, daily. Cloister, 1000-1700, Monday through Saturday, Sunday 1400-1700. May through September, until 1900. Treasury, 1000-1700. Closed on Sunday.
- Mass Times: 1830, Tuesday to Saturday. 1130, Sunday and Holy Days.
- Admission: Church, free. Cloister and Treasury, €2.50, adults, €1.00, children.