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I have passed it a few times before and took some photos from the outside, but never got in.
It is a massive, white building that stands alone in the middle of a square, almost like it just showed up there one day out of the blue. The surrounding budlings are kept at a distance so everyone can admire their size and beauty. And there really is something to admire.
Church of Santa Engrácia
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Peaking through.
Originally a church, it was converted into the National Pantheon (Panteão Nacional, pronounced [pɐ̃tiˈɐ̃w nɐsiuˈnal]), in which important Portuguese personalities are buried.
Construction proceeded from 1682 through 1712, when the architect died. King John V lost interest in the project, concentrating his resources in the gigantic Convent of Mafra. The church was not completed until the 20th century, so that obras de Santa Engrácia (literally works of Saint Engratia) has become a Portuguese synonym for an endless construction project. A dome was added, and the church was reinaugurated in 1966.
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The entrance is paid and costs 8€ for an adult and 4€ for a junior, and maybe that's why there were fewer people than in the free churches. But that is good. This way, everyone inside could admire the space in silence and even take photos without people in front.
It is a shame that those large billboards were placed in the middle. Everything was kept in toned colors and gentle light. You can almost feel the importance of the place.
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The personalities entombed here include:
- the Presidents of the Republic Manuel de Arriaga, Teófilo Braga, Sidónio Pais and Óscar Carmona,
- presidential candidate Humberto Delgado,
- writers João de Deus, Almeida Garrett, Guerra Junqueiro, Aquilino Ribeiro and Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen,
- fado singer Amália Rodrigues,
- and footballer Eusébio.
There are cenotaphs to Luís de Camões, Pedro Álvares Cabral, Afonso de Albuquerque, Nuno Álvares Pereira, Vasco da Gama, Henry the Navigator and Aristides de Sousa Mendes.
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I wish I had taken photos of all the names, but you know how it is. You see something pretty, and you get stupid 😝. So I skipped most of them.
Did I just find a reason to go there again?
Standing right in the middle of it and looking up you see this:
Such beautiful symmetry. It almost looks like one of those kaleidoscope toys :)
You can see a little black fence under the windows in the middle of the dome. This is where I am going next.
I am not sure if there was an elevator installed, I took the stairs up. This allows you to peak through multiple small balconies along the way.
And then admire the size of it from a different perspective.
See the tiny humans down there?
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A few more steps and we end up on the roof.
The view from the roof is equally breathtaking and with even less people. To get there you have to conquer some stairs and I guess not everyone was willing to do that.
The view to the bridge (Ponte 25 de Abril) and statue of Christ.
Another amazing church that I still have to write about - Igreja de São Vicente de Fora just few streets away.
And of course the wide Tagus River.
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It is another great spot to admire all the Lisbon roofs.
Zoom... and we have some really nice roof guardians :)
And then again the stairs trip down, last quick look, and time to move on.
Until next time.
Shot with Nikon D5500 + Nikkor 18-55 lens and OnePlus 7 Pro
All photos and text are my own unless stated otherwise.
