Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
and monastery; the strange catacombs
(ossário)
under the church, tightly packed with the
bones of former parishioners (the bodies were left under the wooden floor boards to rot
and then transferred to the neat little niches in the walls—the trapdoor near #32 leads
to the bones' final refuge); and, the unquestionable highlight, an extravagant Baroque
church interior from the 17th and 18th centuries.
CostandHours:
€3.50, daily March-June 9:00-19:00, July-Sept 9:00-20:00, Oct-Feb
9:00-17:30, no photos in church, Rua Infante Dom Henrique, tel. 222-062-100.
Visiting the Church:
Although the church was ravaged by Napoleon and by the Por-
tuguese during their 19th-century civil war, the interior remains stunning, with lavish
chestnut carvings slathered in gold leaf—900 pounds of gold. Wander down the main
aisle like a bewildered 18th-century peasant. On the right, find the ornate altar showing
how Franciscans weren't always warmly received—at the top they are being cruelly tor-
tured and crucified by Japanese (portrayed with Muslim features), and at the bottom they
are being beheaded by Moors. Still, in the center, St. Francis encourages his followers on.
On the left, find the over-the-top Jesse's Tree (1718), which is a very literal interpretation
of the family tree of Jesus, resting upon Mary. She sits in a boat as Our Lady of Good
Voyage, a patron saint of navigators.
▲▲
StockExchangePalace(PaláciodaBolsa)
—This unassuming building is neither a
stock exchange nor a palace, but a breathtaking monument to civic and commercial pride,
with some of the most lavishly decorated rooms in Portugal.
