After strolling through the Jardim do Infante Dom Henrique, in Porto, Portugal, we headed towards the Igreja de São Francisco crossing the Rua de Ferreira Borges. As we climbed the stairs we could see the baroque facade of the Church with a rose window on the top and over the entrance a statue of Saint Francis. It was built between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
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The “Igreja da Ordem Terceira de São Francisco”, commonly known as the “Igreja dos Terceiros” in Braga, Portugal, is a small church very close to the Arcade and the Braga Tower on “Largo São Francisco”.
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Strolling along the “Avenida dos Aliados” and the “Praças da Liberdade” and “do Municipio” and just behind the City Hall of Porto, we find the Church of “Trindade” or Trinity Church. The temple is part of the complex of the “Ordem da Trinidade” that includes a Hospital.
Facing the “Praça da República” in the city of the Knights Templar, Thomar, Portugal, we find the “Igreja do São João Baptista” (Church of Saint John the Baptist). It is a late Gothic temple whose date of foundation is unknown. There is documentary evidence that under the reign of Manuel I in the fifteenth century it was subject to a reconstruction.
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At the top of the highest hill in the “Alfama” ward, you will find what from the 12th century is known as the “Castelo de São Jorge” or “Castillo de San Jorge”. The castle has eleven towers and its construction of the mid-eleventh century is attributed to the Muslims, with the purpose of defending the “Alcazaba” or citadel.
The Cathedral of Santa Maria or “Igreja Primacial de Braga” is mostly known as the “Se de Braga”. It is recognized as the first Portuguese cathedral. However, in 1139 it is when this distinction is granted, when the new country of Portugal was created.
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A few steps from the Cathedral of Lisbon, going up the “Largo da Se” in the Alfama ward, to the left is a Baroque temple from the 18th century. This is the Church of “San Antonio”, built in 1787 on what is alleged was the birthplace of the Saint Anthony. Although,the history of the building itself is much older.
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In the São Martinho Ward rises the “Palácio da Vila” better known as the National Palace of Sintra, Portugal. It was originally an urban palace of the sixteenth century and today has become one of the most iconic buildings of Sintra.
The historical center of Lisbon has a very interesting and sometimes challenging topography. There are seven hills, with one of them in the center, with a gentle slope towards the Tagus River. If we imagine it in an aerial view, that central strip is the flattest, as if it were a river that makes its way among the other hills. It is the Baixa neighborhood and although the hills that surround it are very steep, it did not stop the urban expansion on the slopes.
The earthquake of 1755 caused a great deal of damage in Lisbon, Portugal, and the “Baixa” neighborhood was completely destroyed. Much of the damage was caused by a tsunami that surged with the earthquake. Thanks to the reconstruction plans promoted by the Marquis of Pombal, the “Baixa” would be transformed and revitalized. Continue reading “Praça do Comércio – Lisbon, Portugal”