Cathedral Santa Maria Maior de Lisboa / Sé de Lisboa (Portugal)
N 38° 42.589 W 009° 08.003
29S E 488403 N 4284583
The Romanesque Cathedral Santa Maria Maior in Lisbon, called also the Sé Patriarchal de Lisboa, is the city's oldest church and one of its most prominent architectonic monuments dating back to the 12th century.
Waymark Code: WM6GHR
Location: Lisboa, Portugal
Date Posted: 06/01/2009
Views: 40
Cathedral Santa Maria Maior in Lisbon, called also the the Sé Patriarchal de Lisboa, is one of the largest constructions of Romanesque origin in Portugal. The Portuguese word Sé, meaning cathedral, comes from the word sede meaning bishop's seat. The origins of the church date back to the 12th century. After the conquest of the city by the first king of Portugal, Afonso Henriques, the construction of a church was quickly begun on a site on which a mosque had stood until then.
Over the centuries the church has been destroyed several times by earthquakes, the first time in 1344. Rebuilding of the cathedral has resulted in a continual change of appearance. At the beginning of the 14th century Afonso IV had the church enlarged. In 1380, after a powerful earthquake, the present facade, with its fortress-like towers, was erected. In the 18th century two Baroque spires were added. These were later removed in order to emphasise the Romanesque.
The Cathedral is a Latin cross building with three aisles, a transept and a main chapel surrounded by an ambulatory. The church is connected with a cloister on the Eastern side. The main façade of the cathedral looks like a fortress, with two towers flanking the entrance and crenellations over the walls. This menacing appearance, also seen in other Portuguese cathedrals of the time, is a relic from the Reconquista period, when the cathedral could be used as a base to attack the enemy during a siege.