Lisbon – Part 4

April 26, 2019:

Today we’re touring several more sites in Lisbon: Cemetery of Pleasures (Cemitério dos Prazeres); Igreja do Santo Condestável (Church of the Holy Constable); Mercado de Campo de Ourique; Basílica da Estrela; Jardim da Estrela; Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga (National Museum of Ancient Art); Museum and School of Portuguese Decorative Arts (Museu Escola de Artes Decorativas Portuguesas); Walking Tour of Alfama District; LX Factory; and “Pink Street”.

BREAKFAST IN PRINCIPE REAL:

We started the day with breakfast close by our accommodation in Principe Real:

Breakfast in Principe Real – Padaria de São Roque

Then we took an Uber to the…

CEMETERY OF PLEASURES (CEMITÉRIO DOS PRAZERES):

This is a vast park-like cemetery is dense with the mausoleums of leading Lisbon families and historic figures, many the size of small chapels, dating back to the 19th century.

Entrance to the Cemetery:
The cemetery is located at the end of a tram line.

Entrance to the cemetery

After the city of Lisbon was hit by an outbreak of cholera in 1833, causing thousands of deaths, it was urgent to create a large cemetery for both rich and poorer victims – It was given the weird name of the “Cemetery of Pleasures”, after the nearby neighborhood (Prazeres) with the same name.

Famous People at Prazeres Cemetery:

Because the cemetery was located in the West side of Lisbon, which was the more affluent area, many of Lisbon’s aristocratic families were buried there – This is one of the reasons the funerary architecture and art is so beautiful here.

Tomb of the Families of the Dukes of Palmela:
This happens to be the largest private mausoleum in Europe – The Duke Dom Pedro de Sousa Holstein is in the center and is accompanied by not just family, but also friends and even two priests – There are over 200 people in this mausoleum.

Tomb of the Families of the Dukes of Palmela

Tomb of António Augusto Carvalho Monteiro:
He’s the famous owner of the unusual and beautiful Quinta da Regaleira in Sintra (which we’ve already seen). He was an entomologist born to Portuguese parents in Rio de Janeiro – He inherited a huge family fortune, which he enlarged in Brazil by selling coffee and precious stones. He was a Mason and his tomb has unusual features.

Tomb of António Augusto Carvalho Monteiro

The Rose Cross is a symbol largely associated with the semi-mythical Christian Rosenkreuz, Kabbalist and alchemist and founder of the Rosicrucian Order.

Rose cross

The shells (on either side of the door and above the door) represent the voyage.

Shells

The inverted beam represents death as an inversion of the normal meaning of life.

Inverted beam

The door knocker is engraved with a bee carrying a skull (the bee, which is diligent and hard-working, represents the Mason in his organized work).

Door knocker

The grating which can be seen in the back of the tomb, is festooned with the symbolic wine and bread, the spirit and the body – owls, symbol of wisdom, ornament the grave, as well as the poppies, which symbolize death.

Back of the tomb

Valle Flor Family Mausoleum:
The mausoleum of the Valle Flor Family comes with a very sad story – The patriarch of the family was José Luis Constantino Dias, a farmer from the north who made his fortune in the former colony of São Tomé e Principe – The top floor of his home, the Valle Flor Palace, was added so that the Marquês would have a clear sight of the Prazeres cemetery, where his two daughters were buried.

Valle Flor Family Mausoleum

There are many other beautiful art works and mausoleums in the cemetery.

Other artworks and mausoleums in the cemetery

The Firefighters’ Area:
At the southern end of the cemetery, there is an area that is designated as the burial ground of Firefighters – It is a beautiful way to honor their service.

The Firefighters’ Area

Capela do Cemitério dos Prazeres (Chapel of the Cemetery of the Pleasures):
The cemetery also has a chapel, the Capela do Cemitério dos Prazeres (Chapel of the Cemetery of the Pleasures) in its center (same hours as the Cemetery) – this chapel has an exhibition space on its upper level which is usually free to enter and has interesting temporary collections on a range of topics.

Chapel

From the cemetery, we took the 28E tram…

28E Tram

to the…

IGREJA DO SANTO CONDESTÁVEL (CHURCH OF THE HOLY CONSTABLE):

This is an angular modern church, that was only opened in 1951 – It has a lovely design with some impressive stained-glass windows.

Igreja do Santo Condestável (Church of the Holy Constable)

Hiding behind the church is the…

MERCADO DE CAMPO DE OURIQUE:

A 19th century iron-and-glass market that’s now a trendy market and food circus.

Mercado de Campo de Ourique

We boarded the tram again for our next stop…

BASILICA DA ESTRELA:

From the tram stop it was a short walk. We saw a couple of interesting sights on the way…

Doggie Day Care, etc.

Fruit Market

Basilica da Estrela:
The beautiful Basilica da Estrela was constructed as a religious obligation by Queen Maria I of Portugal after she gave birth to a healthy heir to the Portuguese throne.

Basilica da Estrela

Interior of the Basilica da Estrela

Famous Nativity Scene (Presépio):
This famous Nativity scene in the Basilica da Estrela with more than 500 different figures in it, was sculpted out of cork by the artist Joaquim Machado de Castro.

Nativity Scene (Presépio)

It is a short walk to the…

JARDIM DA ESTRELA (GARDEN OF ESTRELA):

This is quiet, peaceful place in the middle of Lisbon.

Jardim da Estrela (Garden of Estrela)

We now took an Uber to the…

MUSEU NACIONAL DE ARTE ANTIGA (NATIONAL MUSEUM OF ANCIENT ART):

The National Museum of Ancient Art means not “ancient” as in Roman and Greek – but “antique” as in the Age of Discovery – this is Portugal’s finest museum for artwork from the time when Portugal ruled the seas – the 15th and 16th centuries (most of these works were gathered from Lisbon’s abbeys and convents after their dissolution in 1834).

You’ll also find a rich collection of furniture, as well as paintings by renowned European masters such as Hieronymus Bosch, Jan van Eyck, and Raphael – all in a grand palace that’s sleekly renovated and well-presented.

Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga (National Museum of Ancient Art)

Visiting the Museum:
Here are some of the museum’s highlights, starting at the top floor:

From the ticket desk, turn right to find an elevator and press button 2 (top floor – level 3)

Top Floor, Level 3, Portuguese Painting and Sculpture:

– From the elevator, veer right through the atrium and find the big, red room at the far end (Room 2)

– The Panels of St. Vincent are a multipart altarpiece by the late-15th-century master Nuno Gonçalez – A gang of 60 real people – everyone from royalty to sailors and beggars – surround’s Lisbon’s patron saint, Saint Vincent

Saint Vincent Panels. From left to right: Panel of the Friars, Panel of the Fishermen, Panel of the Prince, Panel of the Archbishop, Panel of the Knights, and Panel of the Relic

– Explore the rest of the top floor – In Room 1, view the beautiful The Adoration of the Magi, by Domingos António de Sequeira, c. 1828

The Adoration of the Magi, by Domingos António de Sequeira, c. 1828

– In Room 5, enjoy the Oil on oak by an Unknown Portuguese master entitled Hell, c. 1510-1520.

Unknown Portuguese master – Hell, c. 1510-1520.

– In Room 7, study the Two-headed fountain (Author: Unknown, c. 1501-1515) which associates two crowned heads and two shields with the emblems of Dom Manuel I and Doña Leonor (Eleanor)

Two-headed fountain (Author: Unknown, c. 1501-1515)

– In Room 9, see the painting Martyrdom of St. Sebastian by Gregório Lopes (c. 1536-1539).

Martyrdom of St. Sebastian by Gregório Lopes (c. 1536-1539)

– In Room 10, find an exceptional portrait of the baby-faced King Sebastião – who died young when he led an incursion into Africa – The armor is typical of Iberia for the era, as is the royal jaw and pursued lips caused by Hapsburg inbreeding.

King Sebastião portrait

– The Virgin of Expectation, c. 1340-1350, attributed to master Pero, shows a pregnant Mary – This unusual theme was common in rural parts of Portugal where the Virgin’s fertility was her most persuasive quality in recruiting local followers.

Pero – Virgin of Expectation, c. 1340-1350

Middle Floor, Level 2, Art from the Portuguese Discoveries:

– This floor collects items that Portuguese explorers brought home from their far-flung travels.

– Monstrance of Belém, commissioned by Manuel I and attributed to the Portuguese goldsmith and playwright Gil Vicente and made from East African tribute gold brought back by Vasco da Gama.

Gil Vicente – Monstrance of Belém

Ground Floor, Level 1, European Art:

– Pass through the gift shop, veer left, and follow the one-way route through paintings from all over Europe.

– Paintings of the twelve apostles by the Spanish master Francisco de Zurburán.

Francisco de Zurburán – St. Peter, c.1633

– Bosch’s Temptations of St. Anthony (a three-paneled altarpiece fantasy, c. 1500).

Bosch’s Temptations of St. Anthony, c. 1500

– Albrecht Dürer’s St. Jerome.

Albrecht Dürer’s St. Jerome

– In Room 61, study Salome with the Head of St. John the Baptist, by Lucas Cranach, the Elder, c. 1510.

Salome with the Head of St. John the Baptist, by Lucas Cranach, the Elder, c. 1510

Other highlights of the museum

Gardens and Viewpoint:
In the back of the museum, there are a few statues and a great view of the Lisbon harbor.

Gardens and viewpoint

From here we took an Uber to the…

MUSEUM AND SCHOOL OF PORTUGUESE DECORATIVE ARTS (MUSEU ESCOLA DE ARTES DECORATIVAS PORTUGUESAS):

The Museum and School of Portuguese Decorative Arts offers a stroll through a richly decorated, aristocratic household. The palace offers the best chance for visitors to experience what a noble home looked like during Lisbon’s glory days.

Museum and School of Portuguese Decorative Arts (Museu Escola de Artes Decorativas Portuguesas)

ALFAMA WALKING TOUR:

We started our Alfama Walking Tour across the street from the Museum and School of Portuguese Decorative Arts (Museu Escola de Artes Decorativas Portuguesas)…

Largo Portas do Sol (Gate of the Sun Square) and Largo Santa Luzia:
These two adjoining squares host a statue of St. Vincent, have azulejos by Martim Montiz along the back of the Igreja de Santa Luzia, and have viewpoints overlooking the Alfama district.

Statue of St. Vincent

Azulejos by Martim Montiz along the back of the Igreja de Santa Luzia

Kiosk and terrace

Street Vendors

View of the Alfama district

We next went down a steep stairway between the two squares, Rua Norberto de Araújo, with a visigothic wall on our right.

Rua Norberto de Araújo

We soon reached on the left, a small tunnel that was decorated with the History of Lisbon Mural by Nuno Saraiva.

History of Lisbon Mural by Nuno Saraiva

Continuing down Rua Norberto de Araújo, at the bottom of the stairs we saw a small Shrine of St. Anthony.

Rua Norberto de Araújo

Shrine of St. Anthony

We turned left at the metal stairway, Calçadinha da Figueira, and went down this stairway to see some street art and a small ceramics store at #23, Cerâmica – Elizabete Silva & Dina Nunes.

Street Art

Cerâmica – Elizabete Silva & Dina Nunes

Upon exiting the shop, we went down Beco da Corvinha, then the concrete stepped lane called Escadinhas de São Miguel, which funneled us to the Alfama’s main church… Church of Saint Michael (Igreja de São Miguel) and just past it, to its main square… Square of St. Michael (Largo da São Miguel), seeing more street art on the way.

Beco da Corvinha

Street Art

Church of Saint Michael

Square of St. Michael

We are now in the “heart of Alfama”. We now noticed portraits on the walls – this is the from the Alma de Alfama or ‘The Soul of Alfama’, which is a tribute for the elderly residents of Alfama district, it contains a series of portraits that are printed on the walls.

‘The Soul of Alfama’ portraits of elderly residents

We next headed west from the Square of St. Michael (Largo da São Miguel) which turns into Beco da São Miguel (stairs up), then turned right on Rua da Galé, then immediately turned left on Beco Canas (stairs up), and left again on Rua da Adiça.

We have reached one of the most picturesque squares in Alfama, and the eclectic café Lisboa Tu e Eu.

Café Lisboa Tu e Eu

Noticed the unusual fountain nearby…

Unusual fountain

We now returned to Rue da Galé via Beco Canas (stairs down), turning right on Rue da Galé, to see this street art.

Street Art

Two pretty adjoining houses are located at Rua Da Galé (#17, #19):

Pretty adjoining houses

We then went a couple of blocks over to Rua da Adiça and saw a couple of houses with shrines to St. Anthony and flowers…

Shrines to St. Anthony and flowers

We turned left from Rua da Adiça onto Largo de São Rafael, which turns into Rua de São Miguel (we took the left fork).

Along the way we saw outdoor laundry, a portion of the old city wall, another Shrine to St. Anthony, and a mosaic of the Virgin and Child.

Outdoor laundry – see the old city wall on the right

Old City Wall

Shrine to St. Anthony

Mosaic of Virgin and Child

Eventually we reached A Baiuca – Fado Restaurant, Rick Steve’s (and everyone else’s) recommended amateur fado restaurant, with grilled fish dishes and authentic Portuguese fado folk music.

A Baiuca – Fado Restaurant

From here, we retraced our steps to Largo de São Rafael and made a sharp left onto Rua de São Pedro. On our left, in an alley called Beco do Azinhal, we found the Lautasco Restaurant.

Rua de São Pedro

Lautasco Restaurant

We returned to Rua de São Pedro and continued until we reached Largo do Chafariz de Dentro (Old Alfama Square).

Largo do Chafariz de Dentro (Old Alfama Square) – Museu do Fado

Fountain at the square

Map of Alfama at the square

Gelato store on the square

Capela de Nossa Senhora dos Remédios close by

‘Alfama Fox’

We now headed west along Rua do Terreiro do Trigo from the square (which turns into Rua Cais de Santarém) until we reached the Fountain of the King (Chafariz d’El Rei).

Fountain of the King (Chafariz d’El Rei)

We continued on Rua Cais de Santarém until we saw on our right, Arco de Jesus (Arch of Jesus). We climbed the stairs for a better look.

Arco de Jesus (Arch of Jesus)

Our next stop along Rua Cais de Santarém is the Casa dos Bicos (House of Beaks or Spikes). After a 20th-century renovation, it became the headquarters of the José Saramago Foundation.

Casa dos Bicos (House of Beaks or Spikes)

LXFACTORY:

LXFactory is a unique shopping area of Lisbon (address: 103 Rua Rodrigues de Faria), composed of former industrial space now converted into restaurants, cafés, shops, and other commercial uses.

LXFactory

We didn’t spend much time here – mostly wandering around finding street art…

Street Art at LXFactory

“PINK STREET”:

We tried one of Rick Steves’ picks for “Pink Street”…

“Pink Street”

Pensão Amor (“House of Love”):

This is a velvety place for a cocktail – Wallpapered with sexy memories of the days when it was a brothel, it’s a grungy tangle of corners to hang out in and enjoy a drink (or just stare at the graffiti), often against a backdrop of live jazz – It even has a sexy library if you feel like reading (no food).

Pensão Amor (“House of Love”)

This concludes a long and busy day in Lisbon.

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