Lisbon Metropolitan Area/Centre

Route of the Portuguese Cathedrals

Setúbal’s most important medieval neighbour- hood, as well as its religious, political and administrative centre, grew up around the city’s Cathedral (Church of the Holy Mary of Grace), which was rebuilt in the sixteenth century,

The Cathedral’s impressive façade has two tallrobust towers anking the entrance. Inside, thealtarpieces with their gilded carving produced in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries are worthy of note, as are the seventeenth century frescoes on the nave’s Tuscan columns, and therococo tiles with their gurative compositionsdepicting the life of the Virgin, also located in thenave and dating back to the second half of the seventeenth century.

Gardens of Portugal

The National Palace of Queluz with its sumptuous gardens are an exceptional example of theharmonious link between landscape design and palace architecture in Portugal. Created asa natural extension of the palace’s rooms, the gardens were the setting for the royal family’s entertainments, above all between 1752 and1786.

The in uence of French garden design is whollyevident at Queluz, above all with regard to the sculptures depicting subjects drawn from classical mythology and allegory, its waterfalls and ponds, the cages of exotic birds and useof polychrome tiles.

Shrines of Europe

The Sanctuary of Fátima is located at Cova de Iria, in Fátima.
It is a site of Christian pilgrimage and Catholicdevotion and commemorates the events that led to its foundation, in particular the apparitions of Our Lady witnessed by three child-shepherds in1917: Lúcia dos Santos and Francisco and Jacinta Marto. Its grandeur and religious importance is renowned both nationally and internationally.

The construction of the Marian Sanctuary beganin 1919, with the Chapel of the Apparitions. Overthe years, the sanctuary has been extended, andtoday it includes two basilicas.

Portuguese Pavement

Lisbon’s calçada portuguesa (mosaic-like pavements) date back to the mid-nineteenth century. The rst major paved area was the Praça D. Pedro IV (Rossio). This pavement design evokedthe waves of the sea, which is why it becameknown as the Long Sea (Mar Largo). It was sucha success that soon the streets of Lisbon ceased to be dirt roads and acquired beautiful pavementsdesigned with black and white stones.

Anchors, mermaids and other features soon populated Portuguese pavements, and even-tually became a national symbol.
Calçada portuguesa is characterised by the use of irregular shaped pieces of limestone, aboutve centimetres across, which are tooled and set by hand by skilled pavers. They can include geometric, gurative or speci c elements,depending on the location or the tastes of the dayin which they were laid.

Our Cities - Lisbon

Lisbon is a city built on seven hills that enthralswith its diverse and extraordinary cityscape. There are many viewpoints from where striking views can be enjoyed. The Edward VII park located on one of the hills o ers some of the most beautiful views of the city. This space is de ned by its enormous, central lawn-coveredavenue with its decorative 'calçada portuguesa' promenades on either side, which are adornedwith a range of statues. From the crest of the hillone can appreciate the expanse of this verdant garden, as well as the grandeur of Praça Marquês de Pombal and the Avenida da Liberdade, and, inthe distance, the River Tagus.