BLOGS

Lisbon’s Cathedral or Basilica de Santa Maria Maior is Lisbon’s oldest church and one of our required stops on our tours. It’s the current head office of the Patriarchate. of Lisbon, and it has been considered a National Monument since 1910. In this blog post, we tell you a bit more about this important monument of Portugal’s history.  

Its construction began in the second half of the XII century, after the conquest of the city from the moors by D. Afonso Henriques. It was built on top of an old mosque, apparently. Due to the many interventions that it suffered throughout the years, some due to necessities and trends of the epoch, others due to the uncountable cataclysms that came upon Lisbon – it carries a mix of architectonic styles. The great earthquake of 1755 affected the Cathedral destroying the Chapel of Santíssimo, the south tower and the decoration of the chancel, including the royal tombs, and the cloister.  

The chancel housed the tombs with the relics of Saint Vicente, that was decorated around 1470, with a big altarpiece painted – called “Painéis de São Vicente de Fora” – authorship of Nuno Gonçalves. The panels were dissembled in 1614 and find themselves today, together with other paintings from the Cathedral associated with Saint Vicente, in the National Museum of Arte Antiga.  

Story tells that Saint António was baptized and studied in the Cathedral. The cross that is located at the top of the stairway to the choir surges from one of the first miracles that God made through a Saint. It’s told that Saint António was tempted by the devil in the Cathedral and that he made the symbol of the cross to repel him, having it engraved there in the stone.   

Before you leave, don’t forget to visit the Treasury Museum which is divided into four rooms: Relics and Shrines, The Liturgical Year, the Chapter Room, and the Library. In the first one, you can see diverse shrines from the cathedral’s collections. In the second one, the room develops around the theme of the liturgical year, celebrating the multiple mysteries of Christ’s life. The third room was the space where the Chapter of the Cathedral held their meetings. Lastly, we have the Library where it’s possible to enjoy some of the copies that composed the current Cathedral’s archive.  

Every year, on the 12th of June, the Cathedral of Lisbon, is the stage for the Casamentos de Santo António, a tradition that started in 1958 and helps dozens of couples have their dream wedding.  

Curiously, if you look at the 10 euro bill, you will find that the design on it matches the entrance of the cathedral! 

This is nothing but a small sample of information regarding the Lisbon Cathedral – there is so much more to discover and learn about this amazing monument of great importance for Lisbon’s history. If you wish to find out more about it, don’t waste any more time and book a tour with us!