National Pantheon
Type
Monument & Historical Site
Opening Hours
Tuesday to Sunday
10AM – 05PM
Distance to the Port
10 min – drive
The National Pantheon, also known as the Church of Santa Engrácia, is an impressive Baroque monument that houses the tombs of some of the country's most illustrious figures.
The building is distinguished by its monumental dome and its privileged views over the city, making it one of Lisbon's most iconic architectural landmarks.
Come and discover the final resting place of some of the most illustrious figures in Portuguese history: the National Pantheon. Built in the sixteenth century as the Church of Santa Engrácia, on the initiative of Infanta Dona Maria, daughter of King Manuel I, the church never hosted worship nor fulfilled its original purpose.
It is from here that the expression “obras de Santa Engrácia” (“the works of Santa Engrácia”) originates, used to describe anything that seems never‑ending, the construction dragged on for 350 years and was only completed in the mid‑twentieth century.
According to popular tradition, this legendary delay also became linked to the tragic story of Simão Pires and Violante, a novice from the neighbouring Convent of Santa Clara. Simão, unjustly accused of stealing relics when he was merely trying to see his beloved, is said to have cast a curse upon the church before being condemned to the stake and, according to popular tradition, the works would then drag on for centuries.
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