Cultural places in Portugal

Convent • Lisboa, Lisboa

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.

Church • Lisboa, Lisboa

The Church of Santa Catarina, in Lisbon, was founded in 1654 in connection with the religious community of São Paulo da Serra de Ossa, beside the former Convent of the Paulists. First associated with the Blessed Sacrament, it came under the invocation of Saint Catherine in the nineteenth century, when the parish seat was transferred to this complex. Classified as a National Monument since 1918, it brings together Baroque and Rococo elements. The façade is arranged in three sections, with a triple arcade, a curved pediment and two bell towers decorated with balusters. Inside, the single nave leads to the chancel, where the Johannine gilded carving of the high altar stands out. The stuccowork by João Grossi, the side chapels, the carved wooden pulpits and the Portuguese organ complete a space in which convent architecture, parish devotion and artistic heritage remain closely linked.