Lisbon - Sé Patriarchal

To the west of and below the Sé Patriarchal stands a lovely Baroque church dedicated to St Anthony. An earlier 16th C. church was destroyed by the earthquake. Mateus Vicente de Oliveira, who also built the Basilica da Estrela and Queluz Palace, completely rebuilt the Igreja de Santo António da Sé.

St Anthony, who gave the church its name, has become known as Anthony of Padua. His real name was Fernando Martins de Bulhoes. He was born at the end of the 12th C. in Lisbon and apparently lived for some time in a Franciscan monastery at Santo António dos Olivais near Coimbra. He spent part of his life in Italy, dying in 1231 in Padua. Tradition has ascribed several miracles to him: fish are said to have listened to his words, he is supposed to have cured the ill and brought the dead back to life. On the other hand he is also said to have been one of the leaders in the extermination of the Albigeois who were being persecuted in the south of France. He is generally portrayed as a saint with a popular touch, a helper of the forgotten and a protector of lovers and children. Many illustrations above front doors show him in the dress of a Franciscan carrying the Christ child in his arms. Lisbon has chosen St Anthony as its saint, and Alfama is considered to be "his" quarter. The traditional St Anthony's festival is celebrated there every year on June 13.

The Igreja de Santo António da Sé is situated on the site of the house where the saint is supposed to have been born. It is said that the crypt, which remains from the original church, was built exactly where the room of his birth was located.

From 1910 to 1926 the church was used by the city for storage and for a time the idea was mooted of accommodating the Museu de Cidade here. In honor of the Franciscan jubilee the council relinquished its control of the church. The proportions of the single aisled interior make it appear very harmonious. A pleasant lighting effect results from the fanlights in the small cupola. The statue of St Anthony, which is carried every year in the procession on June 13, stands on the high altar. The newer sacristy is decorated with flower patterned tiles. Pope John Paul's visit on the occasion of the 750th anniversary of St Anthony's death is recorded for posterity on a tiled picture in the crypt.

A small museum has been set up next to the Igreja de Santo António da Sé in memory of the saint.

The museum focuses on the ruins of the Roman Theatre. An audiovisual presentation describes the history of the ruins. The museum is located just uphill from the cathedral.

The Gothic cloister, lined by several chapels, is reached via the ambulatory. Particularly impressive is a wrought iron Romanesque screen, typical of religious art of that time on the Iberian peninsula. The West Gothic frieze can be seen in the first chapel on the left. Excavations are to be carried out in the cloister garth as it is thought that an underground tunnel still exists leading from the Castelo de Sao Jorge to the cathedral.

After some restoration work the interior of the cathedral appears very uniform. It consists of two low side aisles and a higher nave, with a barrel vaulted and cross vaulted ceiling. The appearance of the front of the interior is predominantly Romanesque. The chancel and ambulatory are, by contrast, Gothic. In the crossing remains of Romanesque arches can be seen alongside Gothic ones. The eastern limit of the first small church can be recognized by the stone floor in the right ambulatory. The ceiling paintings and the decoration of the chancel as well as one of the two organs are Baroque.

In the Franciscan chapel, on the left next to the entrance, a tiled picture can be seen which shows the saint preaching to the fishes. Also in the chapel is a font, in which St Anthony (to whom the Igreja de Santo António da Sé is dedicated) is supposed to have been baptized in 1195. One of the Baroque nativity scenes created by the well known Machado de Castro, whose works also include the statue of José I on the Praça do Comércio, can be found in the first small chapel on the left. The original event has been moved into the Portugal of the 18th century with the nativity crib framed by depictions of everyday Portuguese life. In accordance with taste of that time the figures in the background have been foreshortened in order to intensify the impression of depth. The scene was made from terracotta and painted.

The tombs of King Afonso IV and his wife Beatrix have been placed at the sides of the santuary, with the main altar in the center and the patriarch's throne visible in the background.

Nine chapels have been incorporated into the ambulatory which was built later. St Vincent's Chapel used to contain the reliquary of St Vincent. Also in the ambulatory are the 14th century sarcophagi of Lopo Fernandes Pacheco and his wife Maria Vilalobos. Pacheco became a follower of King Afonso IV after successfully supporting him in the last battle fought against the Arabs as part of the Reconquista. A further sarcophagus with similar features appears to be the work of the same sculptor; the person depicted has, however, never been identified.

The sacristy includes the silver, mother of pearl-inlaid reliquary of St Vincent positioned on a marble altar. A statue of the saint holding a caravel and a quill stands behind it.