Description

Essentials about the National Museum of the Azulejo in brief

The painted ceramic tiles called “azulejos”, which adorn numerous house facades in Lisbon with partly artistic depictions, are an integral part of the cityscape of many Portuguese cities. If you want to see a selection of the most magnificent azulejos and learn more about this typical Portuguese art form, you should definitely visit the Museu Nacional do Azulejo (National Museum of the Azulejo).

The history of the National Museum of the Azulejo

The Azulejo Museum is housed in the 16th century Poor Clares Convent of Madre de Deus. Although the convent was almost completely destroyed in the Great Earthquake of 1755, the two-story cloisters were spared and King John V of Portugal had the convent restored and rebuilt after the quake. In 1960, the National Museum of the Azulejo was finally opened in the preserved cloisters and buildings.

The exhibition of the National Museum of the Azulejo

The museum’s collection gives an overview of the development of tile art over the centuries. The most significant tile paintings are a city view showing Lisbon 25 years before the 1755 earthquake and a 25-meter tile painting made of 1,300 tiles. Another series of paintings is the 1580 panel Nossa Senhora da Vida, which depicts the birth of Jesus on more than 1,000 tiles, as well as azulejos portraits of England’s King Charles II and his Portuguese wife Catherine of Braganza.

The azulejos panels mostly date from the 15th to the 19th century and in many cases came from dissolved monasteries in the country or private homes of the upper middle classes. Furthermore, the museum presents the history of tiling in Portugal and the different forms of production, as well as modern and contemporary azulejo art. The collection of the National Museum of the Azulejo also includes numerous tiles coming from Arabia, North Africa and Flanders.

Website

museudoazulejo.gov.pt

Opening hours

Admission fees

Adults: €8

Seniors (Ages 65 and above): €4

Teenagers and students (Ages 13 – 24): €4

Children (Ages 12 and under): free

For more information on possible discounts and combination tickets with other museums, see the website.

Address

Getting there

By public transport:

Bus lines 210, 718, 742, 759 and 794: Stop Igreja Madre Deus

By car:

In the immediate vicinity of the National Museum of the Azulejo there are only limited parking possibilities.