Church of Sao Roque

"The history of this temple dates back to 1506, when King Manuel I asked Venice for a relic of Saint Roque, a saint known for his miracles against the plague, in order to protect the population of Lisbon from this disease. To venerate the relic, a hermitage was built by the city's inhabitants next to a cemetery for the victims of this scourge, outside the Fernandina wall. The Hermitage was sacred and endowed by the Brotherhood, around 1525. In the mid-16th century, the Society of Jesus, already well established in Portugal, looking for a place to found its Casa Professa, chose the small hermitage of S. Roque, with the surrounding land, for this purpose. Construction began in 1566, with plans and work direction by Afonso Álvares, architect of King D. João III, and was completed by the Italian architect and engineer Filipo Terzi (1520-1597), author of important works in Portugal and responsible for the roof. and the old Mannerist façade of this Church. With the 1755 earthquake, the temple suffered damage to the facade and roof, having undergone restoration and improvement works throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. With the expulsion of the Jesuits from Portugal, in 1759, the Church of S, Roque, its assets and its lands were confiscated and were handed over, by King D. José I, to the Santa Casa da Misericórdia in Lisbon."

"Beautiful church in Bairro Alto - outside is simple, but interior is gorgeous. "

"0-14: Free / 15-64: 2.50 euros / 65+: Free "