Santo Amaro Chapel

This is a Lisbon building which is unique for its centralised plan developed in the Renaissance period. It was designed by the author of the cloister of the Convent of Christ, in Tomar. The entrance is made in a semicircular galilee, with vaulted ceilings and walls totally covered by late-Mannerist tiles of historical relevance, based on two evocative records of St. Amaro. Altars flank the main openings, and polychrome panels—influenced by engravings, with standard tiles, figurative drawing and large foliage—cover the remaining walls. Explored via Italian treatises, the architectural erudition of every spatial and geometric composition sets the place for prayer in the centre, as a cylindrical space enclosed by a dome and a simple roof lantern. It has been a pilgrimage temple with legendary origins, and its location and river views have been preserved by the staircase and the courtyard, which also serves as a viewpoint.