Carmo Convent

The Convento do Carmo was the largest Gothic church in Lisbon, founded in 1389 by Nuno Álvares Pereira, the constable who won at Aljubarrota and later became a Carmelite friar there. On All Saints' Day 1755 the earthquake struck while the church was full for mass; the vault came down and killed the congregation, and the fires and tsunami that followed destroyed much of the city. The nave was never re-roofed. What stands is the shell - arcades, piers and pointed arches open to the sky - which the nineteenth century chose to leave as a memorial, and it is the most direct surviving evidence in Lisbon of what happened that day. The chancel houses an archaeological museum with tombs, Roman and Visigothic material and, incongruously, two pre-Columbian mummies.

History

The Constable Nuno Álvares Pereira founded the convent in 1389, the presbytery and apse were finished in 1407, and by 1423 the friars had moved in, among them Nuno himself, who gave his wealth to the convent and entered it. The earthquake of 1755 badly damaged it and wiped out its library of about 5000 volumes, its 126 friars left, and the walls around it were rebuilt in 1911-1912 (Wikipedia, Carmo Convent).

What's there

• The roofless nave - Gothic arcades and arches left open to the sky since 1755.
• The earthquake record - the clearest surviving evidence of the disaster in Lisbon.
• The museum - tombs, Roman and Visigothic material and two Andean mummies.
• The square - Largo do Carmo, in front of the convent.

When to go

Year-round; the open nave is best in dry weather since there is no roof. One hour. Late afternoon light through the arches is the reason photographers come.

What to expect

No shelter in the nave - rain means getting wet. The museum in the chancel is small and old-fashioned. Queues at the Santa Justa lift below are long; walk up through Chiado instead. Ticketed, with no free access to the nave.

Nearby

The Santa Justa lift connects to the Baixa; Chiado and Bairro Alto are alongside.

Key facts