Convento do Carmo and Largo do Carmo: A Ruin and a Revolution
Why is it significant?
Stand in the shady square with its old fountain and jacaranda trees, then look at the Gothic church front on one side and, through its doors, at stone arches that hold up nothing but the sky. Pigeons sit where the roof should be.
Key Facts
| Place | Convento do Carmo and Largo do Carmo: A Ruin and a Revolution |
|---|---|
| Address | Largo do Carmo, 1200-092 Lisboa, Portugal |
| Geo Coordinates | 38.71190, -9.14080 |
| Part of Walk | After the Earthquake: The Baixa Pombalina and the Lisbon of 1755 |
| Generated | Generated |
Stand in the shady square with its old fountain and jacaranda trees, then look at the Gothic church front on one side and, through its doors, at stone arches that hold up nothing but the sky. Pigeons sit where the roof should be.
The Convento do Carmo was founded in 1389 by Nuno Álvares Pereira, the general who had saved Portugal's independence at Aljubarrota. Late in life he gave up his wealth, became a Carmelite friar here, and died in 1431. In 2009 he was declared a saint. Then on 1 November 1755 the vaults of his great church came crashing down. Rebuilding was begun and then abandoned, and the nave was left open to the sky, the most famous ruin of the earthquake.
Walk inside if you can. Since 1864 the ruin has housed an archaeological museum, so tombs, carved stones and curiosities sit under the open arches, rain falling on them as it has fallen since that All Saints' morning. No museum label says more about 1755 than this missing roof.
Now turn to the barracks on the square, still a base of the Republican National Guard. On 25 April 1974, the head of the dictatorship, Marcelo Caetano, took refuge here as army rebels moved through Lisbon. Captain Salgueiro Maia brought his troops into this square and surrounded the building, and thousands of people poured in to watch, climbing on the fountain and the trees. By evening Caetano had surrendered power to General Spínola, ending nearly half a century of dictatorship.
That day gave the revolution its name. In the streets nearby, people pushed red carnations into the barrels of soldiers' rifles, and it became the Carnation Revolution. One square, two of the great turning points of Portuguese history: the day the city fell and the day the country stood up. Now leave the square by Calçada do Sacramento, the short lane running downhill, to Rua Garrett, the elegant main street of the Chiado.