CARMO CONVENT

Description

Essentials about the Carmo Convent in brief

High above Rossio Square and the Santa Justa Lift, an imposing ruin towers over downtown Lisbon, transporting you to a bygone world: The Convento do Carmo (Carmo Convent). Formerly a monastery of the Carmelite order dating from the late 14th and early 15th centuries, it was largely destroyed in the Great Earthquake of 1755 and is now Lisbon’s most significant architectural reminder of the time before the quake. The ruins of the convent church now house the Museu Arqueológico do Carmo (Carmo Archaeological Museum), which exhibits numerous objects from various periods of Portugal’s history.

The history of the Carmo Convent

The Carmo Convent was built between 1389 and 1423 in response to a vow by Marshal Nuno Álvares Pereira. The building complex also includes the church Igreja do Carmo, which is considered a splendid example of Lisbon Gothic. After the Great Lisbon Quake of 1755, Queen Mary ordered the restoration of the monastery. This stalled after the secularization of the monastic orders in the mid-19th century, after one wing of the monastery was restored. Today it houses the headquarters of the Portuguese National Guard.

The architecture of the Carmo Convent

From an architectural point of view, the Carmo Convent is significant above all for its purist Gothic architecture. Compared to other buildings of the era in Lisbon, the former monastery is considered the most impressive Gothic place of worship in terms of architecture and decoration. Despite the numerous destructions, the finely crafted plant patterns can still be admired on the main facade. The rose window above the portal is also still clearly visible. Of the interior of the church and the roof, however, only the pillars and the pointed arches remain.

The Carmo Archaeological Museum in the Carmo Convent

The ruins of the monastery church now house the Carmo Archaeological Museum, where numerous objects from various periods of Portugal’s history can be seen. Concerts are also held in the roofless nave in the summertime due to the excellent acoustics.