Lisbon Cathedral was built by the first Portuguese king at the place of an old mosque in 1147 for the first city bishop Gilbert of Hastings. The cathedral is also called Sé (Sé de Lisboa, Santa Maria Maior, Metropolitan Cathedral of St. Mary). This Roman Catholic cathedral is the oldest church of the Lisbon Patriarchate. The cathedral has changed over time in terms of its architecture, because renovations were made due to the earthquake, so you can see various architectural directions on it, but the late Romanesque style stands out. In 1910, the cathedral was proclaimed as national monument.
Looking at it from the outside, with two towers at the main entrance, it resembles historical fortresses, but inside it is impressive and much more than you expect. At the time when it was completed, the relics of the patron saint of Lisbon, St. Vincent from Zaragoza, were brought from southern Portugal. King Dinis of Portugal built a Gothic cloister, and his successor Afonso IV turned the main chapel into a royal pantheon in the Gothic table.
In 1498, Queen Eleanor of Viseu founded the Fraternity for the Convocation of Our Lady of Mercy in Lisbon in one of the chapels of the cathedral, and this fraternity had a great influence in Portugal, because with their founding a charity was opened which expanded to other cities.
The earthquake that hit Lisbon in 1755 destroyed the main gothic chapel and the royal pantheon, but everything was restored at the beginning of the 20th century and the authentic appearance has been preserved to this day.
Archaeological excavations begun in the cathedral cloister in 1990 have revealed traces of the Roman, Arab and medieval periods. What the cathedral has contained since its original construction from the beginning of the 13th century is the western façade with pink windows.
The vault of the cathedral is located on the second floor and hides a real treasure - uniforms and jewels from different periods. When you enter the cathedral, on the left side is the baptistery where St. Anthony was baptized in 1195.
Admission to the cathedral is FREE.
Ticket for the Cloister: € 2.50.
Treasury ticket: € 2.50
Combined entrance Cloister and treasury: 4 €.
Reduced ticket: Students: 50% discount.
Children up to 11 years: free entrance
Working hours of the Lisbon Cathedral
Every day: 09 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Cloister from 10 a.m to 6 p.m (Sunday from 2 p.m.)
From May to September until 7 p.m.
Treasury from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The treasury is closed on Sundays
Author of the text:
Maja Glavaš, Bachelor with Honours in Communicology. Works in Tourism.
Contact: [email protected]; instagram: travel_europe1
