Palácio dos Condes de Tomar - Brotéria

The Palace of the Counts of Tomar, in Lisbon, is today home to Brotéria, a cultural centre of the Society of Jesus. The building has its origins in 16th-century structures and gained its palatial form in the 19th century, linked to António Bernardo da Costa Cabral, first Count and Marquis of Tomar. Its history has passed through very different uses: it was an aristocratic residence, the headquarters of the Royal British Club and, for decades, Lisbon’s Municipal Newspaper and Periodicals Library. After being acquired by Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa and rehabilitated, it opened in 2020 as a house of culture. Brotéria brings together a magazine, library, gallery, bookshop, café and courtyard, bringing into the old palace a programme of thought, art and contemporary debate. The great central staircase and the interiors with Romantic decoration recall the building’s former life, now inhabited by books, exhibitions and public conversation.