Wednesday, May 2, 2007

Arco da Rua Augusta






At the top of the Arch there is a group of sculptures that represent the Glory crowning the Talent and the Courage. below there is an ironed Latin inscription.This Arch has been designed as National Monument since 1910.

Basílica da Estrela


Thursday, April 26, 2007

Aqueduto das Águas Livres

Free waters Aqueduct

King John V ordered its construction between 1731 and 1748 through the initiative of Claudio Gorgel do Amaral and the architects Antonio Cannevari, Manuel da Maia and Carlos Mardel.


Since the spring in Caneças until Amoreiras its length is of 18605 metres. With the galleries and affluents it reaches 59838 metres

Its monumental part is formed by 3 sets:
1 - Alcântara Arches
2 - Amoreira Arch
3 - Mãe d’ Água







1- Alcantara Arches have an extension of 35 arches with a length of 941 metres. The biggest arch has an embrasure of 65,25 m high and 28,86 m wide and it is the biggest stone arch known. Over the arch there is the tunnel, which includes a pedestrian passage with 1,40 m wide.


3 - Mãe d’Água was projected by the architect Carlos Mardel to receive and distribute the waters carried through the aqueduct. It was concluded in1834. Inside there is the Arca d’Agua (Water Arch) with 7 m depth. From its terrace we overlook a beautiful sight over the city of Lisbon.






Friday, April 13, 2007

Thursday, April 12, 2007

Torre de Belém

A Torre de Belém

Torre de Belém was built, during the Discoveries (when the city’s defence was extremely important), in homage to S. Vicente.

The Tower of Belém’s decoration symbolizes the power of the king: elegant knots, armillary spheres, naturalistic crosses of the Military Order of Christ and other elements.

It was used as a light house, as a prison and was transformed into dungeons, during the Phillipine ocupation (1580). It was classified as Cultural Patrimony of All Mankind by the Unesco in 1983.


The Cathedral of Lisbon


The Cathedral

The See is the most important religious building of Lisbon. It’s located near the gates of the old city’s walls, near the road that enters the Castle.

It’s a fortified church built in late Romanic style with marks of many reconstruction campaigns: gothic, renascence, baroque, pombaline (other typical Portuguese style) and others.



Jeronimo's Monastery



Jeronimo’s Monastery
The Monastery dates from 1501. The large facade (of more than 300m of limestone) is often pointed as the symbol of the golden time of the Maritime Portuguese Expansion.

The decorative style is typically Portuguese gothic style“ Manuelino” .
Integrates architectonic elements of the final gothic style and renascence, associated to other symbols of royalty, religion and nature, like crosses, spheres, ships, exotic animals and more.

It was declared a National Monument in 1907 and in 1984, UNESCO classified it as “Cultural Patrimony of Humanity”.


Padrão dos Descobrimentos



Padrão dos Descobrimentos

A beautiful stone monument, the “Discovering Pattern”
Was built for the Portuguese World Exhibition, which took place in 1940. Celebrated the nationalism, colonial expansionism and the Portuguese ultramarine action.

Built in stone, the tower was inaugurated in 1960. It brings you back to the time of the Portuguese marine expansion of the 16thcentury.

It rises like a stone caravel anchored in Tejo, the biggest river in the country.


It’s decorated by a serie of sculptures of important personalities of the time, like infante Henry.




In the exterior is, over a background of Portuguese
pavement (very typical of Lisbon), a rhumb card drawn
in colourful marble.


The “Padrão” is built in a unique monumental zone – Belém – which includes amazing monuments like the Tower of Belém and the Jeronimo’s Monastery.