Jardim do Palácio de São Bento

Behind the solemn façade of Parliament, the Garden of São Bento Palace reveals a more secluded and theatrical side of this place of power. Designed by Cristino da Silva, it is arranged with French-inspired symmetry, in flowerbeds and statues set across small terraces that overcome the steep slope of the ground. A long wall, opened by sixteen niches with fountains, separates it from the Prime Minister’s official residence; at the centre, a double staircase built in the 1940s rises to the upper garden, watched over by sphinxes bearing the Portuguese shields, sculpted by Leopoldo de Almeida. On either side, the allegories of Strength and Justice extend, outdoors, the symbolic language of the parliamentary building. More than a simple green space, this garden seems to turn the rhetoric of politics into stone, water and design, with a serene order that contrasts with the bustle of the city just beyond it.