Convento dos Cardaes

The Convent of Nossa Senhora da Conceição dos Cardaes, in Lisbon, was founded in 1681 by D. Luísa de Távora to house Discalced Carmelite nuns. Its history has crossed the city with little interruption: the 1755 earthquake caused little damage to the structure, allowing its seventeenth-century layout to be preserved. The sober exterior prepares a striking contrast with the interior, where the nave brings together gilded woodcarving, paintings and blue-and-white Dutch tile panels, signed by Jan van Oort of Amsterdam, showing episodes from the life of Saint Teresa of Ávila. In the chancel, the polychrome marble inlays, attributed to João Antunes, give the space depth and brilliance. After the death of the last Carmelite nun, the convent came to serve the Associação Nossa Senhora Consoladora dos Aflitos. Still today it is a monument, museum and inhabited home, linking Baroque art, religious memory and social mission.