National Pantheon

Santa Engrácia was begun in 1682 and not finished until 1966, which is why obra de Santa Engrácia became the Portuguese expression for a project that never ends. The building is a Greek-cross plan in white limestone with coloured marble inlaid across the floor and walls and a dome added at the very end of the process. Since 1916 it has served as the National Pantheon: tombs of presidents and writers - Almeida Garrett, Guerra Junqueiro, João de Deus, the fado singer Amália Rodrigues, the footballer Eusébio - and cenotaphs to figures buried elsewhere, including Henry the Navigator, Vasco da Gama, Camões and Pedro Álvares Cabral, whose actual remains are in other places. The terrace around the dome gives one of the best views in Lisbon: Alfama roofs, the river, the container port and the 25 de Abril bridge.

What you actually see

• The dome terrace - a walkway around the top with views over Alfama and the Tagus.
• The tombs - presidents, writers, Amália Rodrigues and Eusébio.
• The cenotaphs - memorials to Vasco da Gama, Camões and others buried elsewhere.
• The 284-year build - the source of the Portuguese phrase for an endless project.

When to go

Year-round. One hour. The Feira da Ladra flea market fills the square outside on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

Honest expectations

The lift does not go all the way; there are stairs to the terrace. Interiors are cold marble and echo. Closed on Mondays. The cenotaphs hold no remains, which surprises people expecting graves.

Nearby

The Feira da Ladra is in the square; São Vicente de Fora is a short walk up.