Convent of Saint Anthony of the Capuchins

Category: Religious Architecture > Convent

District: Lisboa > Lisboa > Lisboa > Santo António

Location

Situated in the city of Lisbon, in the parish of Santo António, the Convent of Santo António dos Capuchos stands in a prominent urban area. Its main facades can be observed from Alameda de Santo António dos Capuchos, Rua de Santo António dos Capuchos, and Calçada de Santo António, giving it a unique and distinguished urban setting within the city's fabric.

Origins and Transformations

The history of this imposing building began in 1570 with the laying of the first stone for the foundation of a convent for the Recollect Friars of the Custody of Saint Anthony. Inaugurated in 1579, this religious space was built with modest means, also counting on the support of the Crown. Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, the convent received significant donations, including annual alms from the Lisbon City Council and offerings from the aristocracy and high-ranking royal officials. The great earthquake of 1755 caused serious damage, particularly to the nave's vault and several chapels, leading to a remarkable reconstruction that was completed in 1758. With the extinction of religious orders in 1836, the convent was transformed into the Lisbon Asylum for the Indigent (Asilo da Mendicidade de Lisboa), and from 1903, it became part of the heritage of the Lisbon Civil Hospitals, officially becoming a civil hospital in 1928. These transformations resulted in various physical adaptations, but many of its original features remain visible.

Architecture and Tile Art

The Convent of Santo António dos Capuchos features Mannerist architecture with Baroque elements, visible in its rectangular main facade. A striking feature is its entrance galilee, a space covered by a lowered vault, protected by an 18th-century wrought-iron grille. The interior lining of the galilee is adorned with beautiful blue and white historiated tiles, dating from the second half of the 18th century. Inside the former church, which now serves as an archive, a single nave with communicating side chapels can be observed. Although the nave's vault received a monochromatic ornamental painting in the 20th century, much of its original decoration, such as the blue and white tile wainscoting from the mid-18th century and the stuccoes of the chancel, are still preserved. The cloister also maintains its tile wainscoting from the first half of the 18th century, with 'albarradas' (flower vase) and dolphin motifs.

The Sundial

In one of the former convent's courtyards, there is a cistern with an octagonal mouth, lined with blue and white tiles dating from the second half of the 18th century. This cistern serves as the base for one of the most unique elements of the site: a three-quadrant sundial. This sundial is notable not only for its antiquity, with a legible date of 1586 and the initials F.P.L., but also for its artistic integration with the cistern, offering a fascinating glimpse into the passage of time and the ingenuity of the era.

License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt