Lisbon Cathedral

The Sé de Lisboa was begun in 1147, the year Afonso Henriques took the city, and it was built to look like what it was - a statement of conquest in a place that had been Muslim for four centuries, with two blunt bell towers, a rose window and walls thick enough for a fortress. Earthquakes in 1344 and 1755 damaged it repeatedly and each rebuilding left its mark, so the interior runs from Romanesque nave to Gothic ambulatory to later chapels. Excavation in the cloister since the 1990s has exposed what came before: Roman street and shop foundations, an Islamic-period house with a courtyard and rubbish pits, and medieval layers, all left open and visible under walkways. The tram 28 route runs directly past the west front, which is why it appears in so many photographs of Lisbon. It remains the seat of the patriarch and an active church.

History

Lisbon has been the seat of a bishopric since the 4th century, and the cathedral was begun after Afonso Henriques retook the city in 1147; its first, late Romanesque building was finished in the first decades of the 13th century, when the relics of Saint Vincent were brought here. King Denis added a Gothic cloister in the late 13th century, the 1755 earthquake wrecked the Gothic main chapel and the royal pantheon, and excavations in the cloister since 1990 have uncovered a Roman road with shops and remains of a mosque (Wikipedia, Lisbon Cathedral).

What you'll find

• The west front - twin bell towers and a rose window built like a fortress in 1147.
• The cloister excavation - Roman and Islamic-period remains left open under walkways.
• The rebuilt interior - Romanesque nave running into a Gothic ambulatory.
• The tram - the 28 passing the door, and the reason for the standard photograph.

When to go

Year-round. One hour including the cloister. Mornings are quieter; the tram photograph draws crowds to the front all day.

Before you go

The cloister and treasury are ticketed separately from the free nave. Excavation works have closed sections for long periods. Services restrict access. The square outside is narrow, busy with trams and a known pickpocketing spot.

Nearby

Alfama and the castle are above; the Baixa and Praça do Comércio are below.

Key facts