20160514BLisbonFinicularAlentejoDinner

May 14, 2016, Saturday — Lisbon, Portugal

monument to the thousands of Jews and conversos who were massacred during the Inquisition

memorial to commemorate those killed during the Inquisition (notice that it has been defaced)

That afternoon we walked to see a couple of plaques to commemorate those who died in the Inquisition. Sadly, someone defaced the two plaques.

church burned in the great fires that accopanied the horrific 1755 earthquake and tsunam

We then visited a church that had been badly burned in the 1755 earthquake and tsunami. In its restoration they deliberately left some traces of the fire damage.

church burned in the great fires that accopanied the horrific 1755 earthquake and tsunami

the old Rossio railway station

May 14, 2016, Saturday — Lisbon, Portugal Finicular Ride

we queue up for the funicular

steep hills

little boy waiting at the funicular

We then rode a funicular from Martim Moniz Square up to the top to see beautiful views of the city.

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view from the top of the hill

view from the top of the hill

our hotel as seen from
the top of the hill

pigeons in the grass, alas

panoramic view from the top of the hill

Sue Novick and Sarah Kolb walk by a lovely fountain

We walked back down and went into the Igreja Jubilar de São Roque.

May 14, 2016, Saturday — Igreja Jubilar de São Roque (Church of Saint Roch)

The Igreja de São Roque (Church of Saint Roch) in Lisbon was the earliest Jesuit church in the Portuguese world, and one of the first Jesuit churches anywhere. It served as the Society’s home church in Portugal for over 200 years, before the Jesuits were expelled from that country. After the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, the church and its ancillary residence were given to the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa (the Charity House of Lisbon).

The Igreja de São Roque was one of the few buildings in Lisbon to survive the earthquake relatively unscathed. When built in the 16th century it was the first Jesuit church designed in the “auditorium-church” style specifically for preaching. It contains a number of chapels, most in the Baroque style of the early 17th century. The most notable chapel is the 18th-century Chapel of St. John the Baptist (Capela de São João Baptista), a project by Nicola Salvi and Luigi Vanvitelli constructed in Rome of many precious stones and disassembled, shipped and reconstructed in São Roque; at the time it was reportedly the most expensive chapel in Europe.

main facade

interior

main altar

Chapel of the Most Holy Sacrament

Chapel of the Holy Family

Chapel of St. Anthony, Tomb of St. Francis Tregian, and Chapel of Our Lady of Piety

The trompe l'oeil Mannerist ceiling

Chapel of Our Lady of Piety

The mosaic floor of the Chapel of St. John the Baptist. The armillary sphere has been a national symbol of Portugal since the reign of King Manuel I, an allusion to the Portuguese Age of Discovery.