Miradouro das Portas do Sol

The Portas do Sol Viewpoint, in Lisbon, owes its name to an old city gate, facing east, that once stood on this site. Today, the place works as an open balcony over the historic slope of Alfama and the Tagus. From here, the National Pantheon, Azurara Palace, traces of the Moorish Wall and the Church of São Vicente de Fora can be distinguished, forming a clear reading of old Lisbon. In the centre of the space stands the statue of São Vicente, Lisbon’s patron saint, represented with the boat and two ravens that form part of the city’s symbols. Between vanished walls, houses descending the hill and monuments that still organise the horizon, the viewpoint shows how the urban landscape preserves names, devotions and memories much older than the present.