São Domingos Church

This church was built in the same place where the first Dominican convent in Lisbon stood, founded in 1241. After the 1755 earthquake, only the main chapel survives to tell the tale. With an architecture shaped by different periods and influences, this church presents a blend of styles, with a predominance of the Baroque and some mannerist features. From the countless incidents it went through, the most significant was the fire of 1959. After this episode, the church would only open its doors again in 1994, deliberately bearing the traces of the fire in the darkened stones of the altar or in the imperfections that mark the pavement cracked by the high temperatures. Despite the story of destruction this building tells, its interiors display great beauty and eclecticism. The old volumes are recovered by the current barrel vault ceiling covered in painted stucco, bringing forth the majestic double columns that remain from the 18th century intervention, as well as the polychrome marbles covering the building. From the outstanding patrimony that survived catastrophe, the lobby, the sacristy and the cloister should be highlighted. These three areas stand out through the beauty of their original elements: the figurative tile panels, the marble tombs and the oil paintings with Dominican themes.