Church of Saint Roch
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Igreja de São Roque (free entry) is probably amongst if not the most beautiful church in Lisbon. Combined with the adjacent Museu de São Roque (€2.50), this is a rewarding place to visit for an hour or so during visits to Lisbon. Opening Hours 9am to 6pm daily (2-6pm on Mondays). Historically, São Roque is the earliest Jesuit church in Portugal being originally built in the 16th century. Unfortunately, a turbulent past saw the Jesuit Order expelled from Portugal for nearly two centuries. The church was passed over to the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa (the Charity House of Lisbon) after the 1755 earthquake and continues to function as part of this organisation to this day. The exterior of Igreja de São Roque is modest and simple. It is pleasant to see on the quaint little square of Largo Trindade Coelho but does little to prepare you for the opulent Baroque style interior, typical of Jesuit churches you may have seen in places like Vienna and Rome. The nave features a beautiful ceiling fresco in front of a decorative altar. Side chapels are very impressive to see as well. In particular, you will want to see the front left - Chapel of St. John the Baptist (1742-1750), which was constructed in Rome before being shipped to Igreja de São Roque. This is a richly decorated chapel, believed to have been the most expensive chapel ever constructed in Europe at its time. Viewing the decadent Baroque and Rococo chapel, it is easy to believe this to be true. Note, important treasures from this chapel are now on display inside Museu de São Roque next door to the church. Beyond the attractive chapels, the nave wall murals are nice complements to the Trompe l'oeil ceiling fresco. A quick visit to the Sacristy, just left of the main alter is worth a few minutes as well. This room features gallery scenes depicting the travels and missionary of St. Francis Xavier, particularly his time in Asia. In all, even for a short visit, best to allow 20 minutes or so to see browse through the church leisurely. Spend more time if you have it to spare. Note: Do also allow another 20-30 minutes for the attached museum, which houses artworks, antiquities and other precious possessions accumulated by the church and Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa over the centuries. It makes for equally rewarding sightseeing. Note: Igreja de São Roque is perhaps a 6-7 minute walk from Igreja do Carmo, another worthwhile church and museum visit in this part of Lisbon. Given their proximity, it makes sense to combine visits to these attractions. Note: Photography is allowed throughout the church and the museum of São Roque.
BradBrad
00
Having visited churches and cathedrals all over Europe, I would say that the Igreja de São Roque (the Church of Saint Roch) is one of the most elaborately decorated. The wooden ceiling is colourfully painted with angels and cherubs and fancy scrolls. The roof painting also includes two fake domes. The main body of the church is completely open, there being no pillars to support the roof. On both sides of the nave there are a series of small chapels deeply recessed into the side walls. These are very ornately decorated with designs heavily carved from wood and then covered with gold leaf or gold paint. This is supplemented with marble and some of the chapels feature large and heavily framed oil paintings. High above these side chapels, large paintings also hang on the walls. The original church on this site was built starting in 1506. It was a shine to host a relic of Saint Roch in the belief that it would protect the people of Lisbon from the plague which was sweeping through southern Europe at that time. In 1555 the church was re-built as the Main House of the Society of Jesus, which had been founded by Saint Ignatius of Loyola in 1534. This was in part a counter balance by the Catholic Church to the austerity advocated by Martin Luther and the Protestants. The elaborate ornamentation of the Jesuit churches is in marked contrast to the simplicity and plain designs of the Protestant churches. The Church of Saint Roch has been modified and added to many times since 1555, but its decoration is still very rich, impressive and beautiful. One can only imagine how awed were the ordinary people of Lisbon when entering such a building. Visitors can enter the church free of charge. The exit for visitors takes you into the adjacent building which is the Museum of São Roque. There you have the choice to exit back into the street or pay €2.50 to visit the Museum. Entry to the Museum is free on Sundays and free at all times for children up to 14 and adults over 65. It is well worth the modest entry fee and takes about an hour or maybe a little more to see everything. All the exhibits are accompanied by explanations and historical context on adjacent display panels which are printed in Portuguese and English. There are good toilet facilities, free WiFi and a small shop.
Graham GouldGraham Gould
40
No início do século XVI, encontrava-se neste local, junto à antiga muralha fernandina, um cemitério onde eram sepultadas as vítimas da peste. Sendo conhecidos em toda a Europa Meridional, os milagres de São Roque contra este flagelo, em 1506 o rei D. Manuel I solicitou a Veneza uma relíquia deste santo, a fim de proteger a população de Lisboa. Para a veneração da relíquia, foi construída pelos habitantes da cidade uma ermida junto ao cemitério dos pestíferos. Em 1540, a Companhia de Jesus chega a Portugal, a convite do rei D. João III, e inicia a partir de Lisboa a sua atividade missionária, tendo escolhido o espaço da antiga ermida de S. Roque para a construção da sua primeira Igreja e Casa Professa. Em 1553, é concedida à Companhia de Jesus a posse da ermida, procedendo-se, doze anos mais tarde, à construção da Casa Professa e da Igreja de São Roque, sede da Ordem em Portugal. No interior da atual igreja foi, logo de início, reservada uma capela lateral para o culto de São Roque, a qual foi confiada à Irmandade desta invocação. Assim, a memória de São Roque ficaria para sempre ligada à história deste local. A Igreja foi construída no sítio da antiga ermida manuelina, na segunda metade do século XVI, sendo seu arquiteto Afonso Álvares, mestre-de-obras de D. João III. Porém, quem terminou a sua construção foi o arquiteto Filipo Terzi, responsável pela cobertura e pela antiga fachada maneirista. A construção desta igreja, teve como objetivo essencial, a ação catequética da Companhia de Jesus, em conformidade com as orientações emanadas por esta Ordem religiosa. De formato retangular, a igreja é composta por uma só nave, uma capela-mor pouco profunda, e oito capelas laterais, sendo este modelo tradicionalmente designado por "Igreja-salão". Na parte superior das paredes laterais, intercalando com os janelões, um conjunto de pinturas, de grandes dimensões, representa episódios da vida de Santo Inácio de Loyola, o fundador da Companhia de Jesus, obra do pintor seiscentista Domingos da Cunha, "o Cabrinha". De grande simplicidade arquitetónica, este templo grandioso foi construído em consonância com as recomendações litúrgicas do Concílio de Trento, sendo representativo do processo de renovação da fé católica pós-tridentina. Caracterizada como um monumento ímpar no contexto da arquitetura jesuítica, esta igreja serviu de modelo a outras posteriormente edificadas pela Ordem inaciana, em Portugal, no Brasil e no extremo Oriente. Em 1768, nove anos após a expulsão dos jesuítas de Portugal, a Igreja e a Casa Professa de S. Roque foram doadas, por alvará régio de D. José I, à Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa, com todos os seus bens.
Bernardo FigueiraBernardo Figueira
60
Visiting the Church of Saint Roch (Igreja de São Roque) in Lisbon was an unforgettable experience. From its modest exterior, you could never guess the artistic and historical treasures that lie within. The church's interior is a breathtaking display of Baroque artistry, with every inch adorned in marbles, gold, precious paintings, and the traditional Portuguese azulejos tiles. The ceiling painted by Francisco Venegas offers a splendid example of the Mannerist movement, perfectly blending classical architecture with Baroque details. The church's history, closely tied with the Jesuits and surviving the devastating 1755 Lisbon earthquake, adds layers of depth to the visit, making it not just an artistic journey but a trip through time. I highly recommend taking the time to explore this hidden gem; its serene and spiritually uplifting atmosphere is truly remarkable.
Amaya LoveAmaya Love
00
WOW! Preciosa y con mucha historia. Vuelvo a repetir en mis reseñas que las iglesias en Portugal, por lo general, tiene una fachada simples, tipo neoclásica, por fuera, pero encierran una gran belleza y riqueza en su interior, que al traspasar la puerta te dejan sin aliento. Esta iglesia es reflejo de ello, ya que posee un rico interior en tallas doradas, lienzos y paneles de azulejos que contribuyen a crear un ambiente escénico realzado por los juegos de claroscuros manieristas y los cuidadosos efectos de iluminación, constituyendo así un importante museo de artes decorativas manieristas y barrocas. Además de la gran belleza que contemplas al visitar esta iglesia sabes su historia, realmente estás ante algo digno de ver y das gracias por poder conocerla... Situémonos en el tiempo: en 1505 ( en el actual Largo da Misericordia) existió un cementerio de los muertos por La Peste traída desde Italia (lo que llevo a la familia real a abandonar temporalmente la ciudad) que estaba fuera de las murallas y era poco frecuentado, estamos hablando del actual Bairro Alto. Y D Manuel I solicitó a Venecia una reliquia de San Roque, patrón de los apestados, cuyo cuerpo había sido trasladado en 1485 y los habitantes de Lisboa decidieron erigir un santuario para albergar la reliquia que efectivamente se llevó a cabo en 1506 con orientación oeste a este según la tradición medieval. En 1527 se creó un "patio de la Peste" al mismo tiempo que se creó una Hermandad para cuidado y supervisión de la iglesia. En 1540, después de la fundación de la compañía de Jesús en 1530 el rey Joao III los invito a venir a Lisboa, instalándose así en Portugal y eligiendo el pequeño santuario al que posteriormente ampliaron ( con el compromiso de mantener la Capilla de San Roque) según los principios de Concilio de Trento y la primera piedra se coloco en 1555 pero el edificio sería rediseñado y ampliado como es es la actualidad en 1565 por el arquitecto real Alfonso Álvares. hasta el nivel de la cornisa interior y terminado en el reinado de Felipe II de España terminándose el edificio pero con modificaciones en la fachada exterior, el techo y la cubierta y los acabados interiores. Hay tanto que decir de esta iglesia que es imposible aquí en esta reseña, pero son dignas de mención: la Capilla Mayor con iconografía representativa de los Jesuitas, las pinturas en perspectiva del techo, los paneles azulejos de la Capilla de S Roque de 1584 (de las primeras experiencias de azulejos portugueses en la técnica de.mayolica) los altares de las reliquias y la capilla de San Juan Bautista de confección italiana.
Tabita FernandesTabita Fernandes
20
English translation after the french one Ouh lalala ! INCROYABLE ÉGLISE (pourtant presque anodine de l'extérieur), du baroque à 200% d'une richesse et d'une beauté absolument RENVERSANTES. Non croyant je suis, néanmoins, impossible de rester insensible à une telle profusion de créativité poussée à son paroxysme, tellement extrême qu'il faudrait des semaines pour tout détailler. De l'or partout, du doré partout, des rentables splendides, des toiles à couper le souffle, un pur trésor cette église vraiment. Et puis, il y a ce côté exacerbé de mort mêlée au religieux. En comparaison des églises françaises catholiques, les représentations de la mort sont partout présentes et bien morbides, crânes, ossements, stigmates des jésus-chris poussés à l'extrême avec du sang bien plus visible que de par chez nous en France, avec des rictus de douleurs extrêmes assez stupéfiants. J'en suis ressorti totalement impressionné en me disant que cette église c'était presque du Gothique, non pas au sens architectural du terme, mais du mouvement musical. Une église totalement renversante. Ne la manquez sous aucun prétexte, mais vraiment : NE LA MANQUEZ SOUS AUCUN PRÉTEXTE, VISITE TOTALEMENT BLUFFANTE. Ooh lalala! INCREDIBLE CHURCH, 200% baroque with absolutely STUNNING richness and beauty. Absolutely not religious but impossible to remain indifferent to such creative profusion, so extreme that it would take weeks to detail everything. And then there is this heightened side of death mixed with religion. Compared to French Catholic churches, representations of death are present everywhere, the stigmata of Jesus Christ taken to the extreme with blood much more visible than here in France, and grins of extreme pain. I came away absolutely impressed, telling myself that this church is almost Gothic, not in the architectural sense of the term, but in the musical movement. A totally stunning church. Don't miss it under any circumstances, but really DON'T MISS IT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, A TOTALLY AMAZING VISIT
loustik Moaloustik Moa
10
Nearby Attractions Of Church of Saint Roch
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Nearby Restaurants Of Church of Saint Roch
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Learn more insights from Wanderboat AIBasic Info
Address
Largo Trindade Coelho, 1200-470 Lisboa, Portugal
Map
Phone
+351 21 346 0361
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Website
museusaoroque.scml.pt
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Overview
4.6
(2.6K reviews)
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Description
The Church of Saint-Roch is a 17th–18th-century French Baroque and classical style church in Paris, dedicated to Saint Roch. It is located at 284 rue Saint-Honoré, in the 1st arrondissement. The current church was built between 1653 and 1740.
attractions: Praça do Comércio, Castelo de S. Jorge, Santa Justa Lift, Lisbon Cathedral, Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara, Praça Luís de Camões, Arco da Rua Augusta, Carmo Convent, Praça Dom Pedro IV, Principe Real garden, restaurants: Time Out Market, Hard Rock Cafe | Lisboa, Uma Marisqueira (The best seafood rice), Casa Portuguesa do Pastel de Bacalhau, Manteigaria, Fábrica da Nata - Pastéis de Nata, A Brasileira, Casa do Alentejo, Pateo - Bairro do Avillez, Trindade
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