082516 Lisbon

This post is based primarily on Don's notes, occasionally supplemented with MT's notes from our Camino in 2016. When information from other sources is added—for further explanation to readers or to satisfy our own curiosity—that is set off in a text box (as this one).

Most of the photos that accompany this post are from Don’s camera (with a caption indicating the time it was taken); those from MT’s iPhone are indicated by “MT” placed at the beginning of the photo caption. Photos from any other source (such as the public domain Wikimedia Commons) indicate that source in the caption.

We landed in Lisboa (Lisbon) around 8:30 am. Portugal time is 6 hours ahead of Kansas time (and Spain is 7 hours ahead).

Lisboa (Lisbon) is the capital of Portugal and its largest city (pop. 552,700). Thus, it is one of the smallest capital cities in the European Union. However, the Lisbon Metropolitan Area (which extends beyond the city’s administrative limits) has a population of around 2.7 million. The westernmost areas of its metro area are the westernmost point of Continental Europe. It borders on the Atlantic Ocean and the Tagus river. Some claim that the name Lisbon can be traced back to the Phoenician term Alis-Ubo, meaning “safe harbor,” while Roman authors of the 1st century AD referred to popular legends that the city of Lisbon was founded by the mythical hero Odysseus on his journey home from Troy. Although modern archeological excavations show a Phoenician presence at this location since 1200 BC, neither of these folk etymologies has any historical credibility. Another conjecture suggests that the name derived from the pre-Roman name of the Tagus river, Lisso or Lucio. Lisbon’s name was written Ulyssippo in Latin and by the Greeks as Olissipo (Ὀλισσιπών) or Olissipona (Ὀλισσιπόνα). Later, the Greek forms of the name appeared in Vulgar Latin.

During the Neolithic period, the region was inhabited by pre-Celtic tribes. The Indo-European Celts invaded in the 1st millennium BC, thus giving rise to Celtic-speaking local tribes. Although the first fortifications on Lisbon’s Castelo (castle) hill are no older than the 2nd century BC, Iron Age people occupied the site from the 8th to 6th centuries BC. This indigenous settlement maintained commercial relations with the Phoenicians, who maintained a trading post on the current site of Castelo de São Jorge overlooking the Tagus river estuary. The Tagus settlement provided an outlet for the valuable metals, salt and salted fish the inland tribes collected, and for the same of the Lusitanian horses renowned in antiquity.

Following the defeat of Hannibal, the Roman Consul Decimus Junius Brutus Callaicus obtained an alliance with Olissippo (which sent men to fight alongside the Roman legions against the northwestern Celtic tribes). Thus it was integrated into the Roman Empire as Municipium Cives Romanorum Felicitas Julia; its residents were given Roman citizenship, and it was integrated with the Roman province of Lusitania. Felicitas Julia became a major administrative center and trading post for the Roman provinces of Britannia and the Rhine. Like most of the great cities in the Western Empire, Olissippo was a center for the dissemination of Christianity, with its first bishop around 356 AD.

Following the disintegration of the Roman Empire, there were barbarian invasions: between 409 and 429 the city was occupied in turn by Sarmatians, Alans, and Vandals. The Germanic Suebi (Swabians), who established the kingdom of Gallaecia (modern Galicia and Portugal) also controlled the Lisbon region until 585, when the Suebi Kingdom was integrated into the Germanic Visigothic Kingdom of Toledo, which comprised the entire Iberian Peninsula. Lisbon was then called Ulishbona. It eventually succumbed to Arab rule, from 711, when it was taken by Muslim forces, until crusader knights led by Afonso Henriques ousted them in 1147 and he became King Afonso I of Portugal.

Siege of Lisbon – Muslim Surrender (en.wikipedia.org).

With its central location, Lisbon became the capital of the new Portuguese territory in 1255. During the last centuries of the Middle Ages, it expanded substantially and became an important trading post with both Northern European and Mediterranean cities. Most of the Portuguese expeditions to the New World left Lisbon. This period was the rise of the exuberant Manueline style in architecture (see Appendix B of this blog for more information on the Manueline style). From 1580 to 1640, Portugal lost its independence to Spain. Periodic skirmishes between Portugal and Spain continued until the Treaty of Lisbon in 1668.

In 1755, the Great Lisbon Earthquake, one of the most destructive ever recorded, and the ensuing tsunami destroyed 90% of its buildings and killed a quarter of its population (30-40,000 died).

Historic Lisbon (lisbon-portugal-guide.com).

We took the Metro (€1.90 ea) from the Aeroporto (Airport) stop to the São Sebastião station and then to the Avenida station on Avenida da Liberdade, which was only a 5 minute walk from Hotel Botanico (3 star), where we checked in around 11 am. Here we got the first carimbos (Portuguese for stamp) in our credenciales for the Camino. Don showered and we washed a few clothes.



‏‎12:21 PM - Lisbon: Hotel Botanico.

Lisbon: Carimbo (stamp) from Hotel Botanico.

We went back to Avenida da Liberdade and took the funicular (cable car) up the steep hill to the scenic overlook of Barrio Alto.

The Barrio Alto (Upper Quarter) is a loose association of neighborhoods (barrios) that resulted from urban expansion in the 16th century, forming outside the walls of the historic city. However, it is now part of central Lisbon. The cable car Ascensor da Glória connects the Praça dos Restauradores in the Barrio Also with the Avenida da Liberdade in the city below. The Miradouro da Senhora do Monte (Scenic Overlook of Our Lady of the Mountain) overlooks the castle.

We discovered that by buying a day pass for €6 ea we could ride all public transportation (cable cars, busses, and Metro) for a 24-hour period, which would include our Metro trip to the Cathedral area to start our Camino walk the next morning.

‏‎12:49 PM - Lisbon: Funicular to Barrio Alto.

MT 12:55 PM - Lisbon: Funicular at Barrio Alto.

‏‎12:54 PM - Lisbon: Barrio Alto – view of monastery and Castelo São Jorge castle.

‏‎12:54 PM - Lisbon: Barrio Alto – view of castle (telephoto 156 mm).

‏‎12:54 PM - Lisbon: Barrio Alto – view of Igreja e Covento da Graça church and monastery (telephoto 156 mm).

The Igreja e Covento da Graça (Church and Convent of Grace) is located on a viewpoint overlooking the city and the river. It belonged to the Order of Augustinian Hermits associated with the Order of St. Augustine. The convent (monastery) was the headquarters of the Portugal Province of the Order of St. Augustine from 1291 to 1834. Construction of the convent (monastery) began in 1271, on a site where Dom Afonso Henriques had camped before he took the city from the Moors. The bell tower dates to 1738. During the earthquake of 1755, much of the church collapsed, and was reconstructed in the Rococo style.

‏‎12:57 PM - Lisbon: Barrio Alto – view of castle, cathedral, and estuary of Río Tejo.

‏‎12:57 PM - Lisbon: Barrio Alto – view of cathedral and estuary of Río Tejo (telephoto 186 mm).

MT 1:01 PM - Lisbon: Barrio Alto – MT at overlook.

MT 1:03 PM - Lisbon: Barrio Alto – Don at overlook.

Still in the Barrio Alto, we made a short visit to the nearby Igreja de São Roque. The outside of the church looked so plain that Don didn’t take a photo, but it was open, and the interior was something special.

The site of Igreja de São Roque (Church of St. Roque) was originally a cemetery for victims of the plague that ravaged Lisbon in 1505. It was outside the city walls, in the area now known as Barrio Alto. At the same time, King Manuel I of Portugal sent to Venice for a relic of St. Roque, the patron saint of plague victims. The residents of Lisbon then decided to erect a shrine on the site to house the relic. The church was begun in 1506, dedicated in 1515, and completed in 1619.

Lisbon: Igreja de São Roque – façade (pt.wikipedia.org).

In 1540, after the founding of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) in the 1530s, King João II of Portugal invited them to come to Lisbon, and they selected the Shrine of St. Roque for their main church, taking possession in 1553. It was the earliest Jesuit church in the Portuguese world, and one of the first Jesuit churches anywhere. However, the Jesuits needed a larger building, and the king also wanted a new, monumental building. The first stone was laid in 1555, but the building was redesigned and expanded (in its present version) in 1565. While the earlier shrine had been oriented from west to east (in the medieval tradition), the new church was oriented south to north, across the older building. It was the first Jesuit church designed in the “auditorium-church” style specifically for preaching. This became popularly known as the “Jesuit style” and was widely copied throughout Portugal and Portuguese colonies. The simple and sober exterior of the church, characteristic of the Portuguese “plain style” (estilo chão) contrasts with the highly decorated Baroque interior with its glazed tiles, gilt woodwork, multi-colored statues, and oil paintings. The bland façade hides one of the most exquisite and decorative churches in Lisbon, and possibly Portugal. It served as the Society’s home church in Portugal for over 200 years, before the Jesuits were expelled from the country in 1759.

It was one of the few buildings in Lisbon to survive the great earthquake of 1755 relatively unscathed. It contains a number of chapels, most in the Baroque style of the early 17th century. The most notable chapel is the Capela de São João Baptista (Chapel of St. John the Baptist) constructed in Rome of many precious stones, then disassembled and shipped and reconstructed in Igreja de São Roque; at the time, it was reportedly the most expensive chapel in Europe.

After the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, the church and its ancillary residence were given to the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa (Holy House of Charity of Lisbon) to replace their church and headquarters which had been destroyed. It remains part of the Santa Casa today.

‏‎1:06 PM - Lisbon: Igreja de São Roque – rear to apse.

Lisbon: Igreja de São Roque - The trompe l'oeil Mannerist ceiling (1588) (wikimedia.commons.org).

The painted ceiling of the nave is a trompe l’oeil designed to give the illusion of barrel vaulting supported by four large arches covered in volutes and other decorative elements. Between the arches are painted squared balconies and “above” these balconies are three huge domes rising on rings of open arches and columns. Most of this was painted between 1584 and 1586 by the royal painter. The Jesuits added the large central medallion (the Glorification of the Cross), as well as 8 large paintings and 12 monochrome panels depicting Biblical events.

‏‎1:09 PM - Lisbon: Igreja de São Roque – left side altar of Capela de Nossa Senhora da Piedadade with crucifix, pietá, and ornate columns and balusters.

The Capela de Nossa Senhora da Piedadade (Chapel of Our Lady of Mercy), the 3rd chapel on the left, was begun in 1686 and finished in 1711. The altarpiece dates from 1708. The design revolves around the central representation of “Calvary” surrounded by a “lace” of angels in upholstered wood on a bas relief background that probably represents Jerusalem. A beautiful 17th-century sculpture of the Pietá in upholstered wood completes the tribune. The central part of the altarpiece is flanked by two pairs of twisted pseudo-solomonic columns with decorated panels in between. In the glass case beneath the altar is a 19th-century sculpture if Our Lady of the Happy Death.

  

‏‎1:10 PM - Lisbon: Igreja de São Roque – east end transept with tiles.

Various parts of the church (e.g., the walls under the choir gallery and in the transept) are decorated with “diamond-point” tiles from Seville and dated to 1596.

‏‎1:11 PM - Lisbon: Igreja de São Roque – right side altar of Capela de São Roque.

The Capela de São Roque (Chapel of St. Roque), the 3rd chapel on the right, dates from the 2nd half of the 16th century, from the time of the building of the Jesuit church. According to tradition, this altar is said to stand on the site of the apse of the original shrine. The altarpiece was completed in 1707, replacing an earlier one that had fallen into disrepair. The central niche houses a statue of St. Roque in upholstered wood. The altarpiece also includes sculptures of St. James and St. Sebastian, as well as 6 statuettes in silvered woods of the four Evangelists and Saints Peter and Paul.

Then we took the funicular back down, and we went to Restaurante Andorra, on pedestrian street Rúa Portas Santo Antão in the old town center, for lunch. Both of us had Bacalhao Assado (grilled cod, €11.80 ea), Pão (bread, €0.60 ea), and bottle of Vinho Verde Casa (green [new] wine of the house, €11,80) for total of €36.60.

‏‎2:08 PM - Lisbon: Restaurante Andorra – MT and Vinho Verde.

‏‎2:17 PM - Lisbon: Restaurante Andorra – MT and Vinho Verde.

‏‎2:09 PM - Lisbon: Restaurante Andorra – Don and Vinho Verde.

‏‎2:13 PM - Lisbon: Restaurante Andorra – Don and MT with Vinho Verde.

‏‎2:22 PM - Lisbon: Restaurante Andorra – Don and MT with bacalhao and Vinho Verde.

‏‎2:16 PM - Lisbon: Restaurante Andorra – Don’s bacalhao and “potato salad.”

MT ‏‎2:23 PM - Lisbon: Restaurante Andorra – MT’s bacalhao and “potato salad.”

Then we went to the 12th-century Catedral Sé Patriarcal de Lisboa.

‏‎3:43 PM - Lisbon: Cathedral – west façade and towers, from Tram # 28 stop.

The Catedral Sé Patriarcal de Santa Maria Maior de Lisboa (Cathedral of the Patriarcal Diocese of Lisbon, aka Santa Maria Maior de Lisboa or Sé de Lisboa or simply Lisbon Cathedral) is the oldest church in the city and is the see of the Archdiocese of Lisbon. Work in this cathedral began in 1147 on Roman foundations to replace the mosque that had been there during Muslim occupation. The building has been modified several times and survived many earthquakes. It is nowadays a mix of different architectural styles. The first building, in Late Romanesque style, was completes in the early 13th century. The main façade looks like a fortress, with two towers flanking the entrance and crenellations over the walls. This is a relic of the Reconquista (Reconquest) period, when a cathedral could be used as a base to attack the enemy during a siege. In the late 13th century, King Dinis of Portugal built a Gothic cloister, and his successor Afonso IV had the main chapel converted into a royal pantheon in Gothic style.

Inside the Cathedral, we got the official carimbo (stamp) for starting the Camino.

Lisbon: Top of first page on Don's credencial with carimbo stamp for "Sé Patriarcal Lisboa (Patriarchal Diocese of Lisbon), with address and passport number deleted.

Lisbon: second page of credencial.

On the second page of the credencial are instructions on use of the credencial and how to earn a compostela, in Spanish that translate:

“IMPORTANT before beginning the Camino de Santiago

“This credential is only for pilgrims on foot, bicycle or horseback, who desire to make the pilgrimage in a Christian sense, even if only in an attitude of search. The credential has the objective of identifying the pilgrim; therefore the institution that provides it must be a Parish, Confraternity, Association of the Friends of the Camino de Santiago, etc. The credential does not generate rights to the pilgrim but has two practical purposes:

“Access to the hostels that offer Christian hospitality of the Way.

“To request the ‘Compostela’ in the Cathedral of Santiago, which is the certification of having completed the pilgrimage.

“The ‘Compostela’ is granted only to those who make the pilgrimage in a Christian sense: devotionis affectu, voti vel pietotis causa [motivated by devotion, vow, or piety], and only those who come to the tomb of the Apostle, having travelled at least the last 100 kilometers on foot or on horseback, or 200 km on bicycle.

The pilgrim’s credential, therefore, can only be issued by the Church or through its own institutions (Bishopric, Parish, Confraternity, etc.) or [institutions] authorized [by the Church] (Federation of Associations, Association of Friends of the Camino de Santiago, etc.). Only in this way can the ‘Compostela’ be granted in the S.A.M.I. [Santa, Apostólica y Metropolitana Iglesia, (Holy, Apostolic and Metropolitan Church)] Cathedral of Santiago (Days of the Holy Year: November 1993. Hostels have no subsidies and should be kept within their austerity, with collaboration of pilgrims (cleaning, care of installations, facilitation of rest, economic aid …)_.

“Groups organized with a support vehicle or bicycles are kindly requested to seek alternative shelter other than the pilgrim hostels.

“The bearer of this credential accepts these conditions.”

www.xacobeo.fr offers this additional information, from the Confraternity of Saint James of South Africa at www.csjofsa.za.org : “You can obtain your compostela by presenting yourself, some form of official identification (like your government-issued travel passport) and your completed pilgrim’s credential.” “Those who do not include ‘spiritual’ in their reason for making the pilgrimage will be offered another document, a certificado, to commemorate their having completed the Camino.” “Sellos can be obtained at most hotels and inns, restaurants and bars, churches, museums, city halls, police stations and at all albergues.”

Notice at top of other credencial pages.

After the first two introductory pages, the top of most other pages has a further instruction regarding sellos (the Spanish word for stamps, meaning the same as the Portuguese carimbos): “En las casillas deberá figurar el sello de cada loclidad (AL MENOS DOS POR DÍA) con la fecha para acreditar su paso.” (In the boxes, the stamp of each locality (AT LEAST TWO PER DAY) must be stamped, with the date, in order to accredit your passage.)

www.xacobeo.fr from www.csjofsa.za.org also notes: “Generally one sello per day is sufficient, but the Pilgrims’ Office in Santiago advises that all pilgrims should obtain two per day during the final 100 km if on foot or the last 200 km if on bicycle.”



‏‎3:33 PM - Lisbon: Cathedral – rear to apse (vertical).

‏‎3:33 PM - Lisbon: Cathedral – rear to apse (horizontal).

‏‎3:35 PM - Lisbon: Cathedral – left (north) side chapel with bishops’ mitres and vestments.

‏‎3:37 PM - Lisbon: Cathedral – apse to rear with rose window.

‏‎3:36 PM - Lisbon: Cathedral – west rose window with Santiago Peregrino (St. James the Pilgrim) at 10 o’clock position (telephoto 112 mm).

‏‎3:36 PM - Lisbon: Cathedral – west rose window with Santiago Peregrino (St. James the Pilgrim) at 10 o’clock position (telephoto 220 mm).

‏‎3:36 PM - Lisbon: Cathedral – west rose window with Santiago Peregrino (St. James the Pilgrim) at 10 o’clock position with staff an scallop shell (telephoto 220 mm, Cropped).

Tram # 28 goes past the main historic sites, including the Cathedral, but it passed the Cathedral 3 or 4 times without stopping (it had a full load of passengers already). While we were waiting, we talked with a gray-haired French lady who would be starting her Camino the next day, too. So we finally decided to walk on up to the Santa Lucia Miradouro (scenic overlook) and the castle.



‏‎4:26 PM - Lisbon: Miradouro de Sta. Lucia – view of Igreja (de São João?).

‏‎4:26 PM - Lisbon: Miradouro de Sta. Lucia – view of estuary with an old ship; church in foreground.

When we got to the Castelo São Jorge, we didn’t go in, since the senior rate was €5 ea (vs €6 regular), and they would not give carimbos (stamp in our credenciales) at the ticket counter, but only inside, after you paid admission.

‏‎4:33 PM - Lisbon: Castelo São Jorge - gateway.

‏‎4:42 PM - Lisbon: Castelo São Jorge – part of wall, on way back down.

The Castelo São Jorge (St. George Castle)) is a Moorish castle occupying a commanding hilltop overlooking the historic center of Lisbon and the Tagus River. It dates from the medieval period.

The first fortifications on this hilltop date from the 2nd century BC. The hill was first used by indigenous Celtic tribes, then by Phoenicians, Greeks, and Carthaginians as a defensible outpost that was later expropriated by Roman, Suebic, Visigothic, and Moorish peoples. During the 10th century, the fortifications were rebuilt by Muslim Berber forces, including the walls or Cerca Moura (Moorish Encirclement). In the context of the Christian Reconquista (Reconquest), the castle and the city of Lisbon were freed from Moorish rule in 1147 by Alfonso Henriques and northern European knights in the Siege of Lisbon during the Second Crusade. When Lisbon became the capital of the Portuguese kingdom in 1255, the castle served as the alcçova (Moorish for fortified residence) of Alfonso III, in his role as governor. It was extensively renovated around 1300 by King Dinis I, transforming the Moorish alcçova into the Royal Palace of the Alcçova. Between 1373 and 1375, King Ferdinand I ordered the building of the Cerca Nova or Cerca Fernandina, the walled compound that encircles the entirety of the castle. This wall, which partially replaced the old Moorish walls, had 77 towers and a perimeter of 5,400 m (17,000 ft). In the late 14th century, the castle was dedicated to St. George by King João I, who had married an English princess. Earthquakes in 1531 and 1755 severely damaged the castle, which had begun to lose its importance after the construction of the Ribeira Palace beside the Tagus River in the early 16th century.

Then we took the Metro back to near our hotel.