Lisbon, Portugal
Situated on the northern
bank of the Tagus estuary, Lisbon, the capital
of Portugal,
has always been a meeting-place for different
peoples. Important Jewish communities settled
in this region and contributed to the flourishing
of Its trade and culture.
Lisbon - Conquered from the
Moors in 1147 by Dom Afonso Henriques, the
first king of Portugal, the Castle of Sao
Jorge stands proudly atop one of the city's
seven hills. With a magnificent view over
the city, it was the site chosen as the home
of the Portuguese court during the first two
centuries of the kingdom's existence.
- Baixa
- Alfama
- Belem
- Other Places of Interest
Baixa
Lisbon
Synagogue |
A short distance away is
the Baixa, traditionally the financial and
commercial center of the city, whose parallel
streets run into the vast Praca do Comericio
the former Terreiro do Pap, where Dom Manuel
I (who reigned from 1495 to 1521) built the
royal palace. In this square, flanked by the
river on one of its sides, is a beautiful
statue of Dom Jose I on horseback. This part
of the city was partially destroyed by a violent
earthquake on 1 November 1755. From its ruins
was to rise up the area known as the Baixa
Pombalina, so called because its reconstruction
was carried out under the auspices of, the
Prime Minister of Dom Jose I Marques de Pombal.
By ordering these new streets of sober monumentality
to be laid out at right angles to one another
in the form of a grid, he was to change the
face of. Lisbon. At the time when the Jews
were expelled from Portugal in 1496, there
were two important Jewish quarters in this
area: the Judiaria Grande, close to the present-day
church of Sao Nicolau, in the street of the
same name, and the Judiaria Pequena, created
during the reign of Dom Dinis (1279-1325),
in the place where the Bank of Portugal stands
today, in a street parallel to the Praca do
Comercio.
To the east, in Rua da Alfandega,
is the Igreja da Conceicao Velha, a church
which some authors consider to have been built
on an old synagogue and is itself remarkable
for its richly carved Manueline doorway. A
little further ahead is the dos Bicos, one
of the most interesting architectural curiosities
remaining from the time of the Discoveries,
with its original facade of diamond-shaped
stones. There are yet other urban and monumental
areas in the city that are linked to the history
of the Jews in Portugal: the Praca Dom Pedro
better known as Rossio, where the Court of
the Inquisition was held in the Palacio dos Estaus, at the
site where the Dona Maria national theatre
now stands, built in the 19th century.
Alfama
Shofar,
pointer and Siddur from Lisbon Synagogue |
On tie hillside facing Alfama,
on the western side of the Baixa, one of Lisbon's
several picturesque yellow funiculars takes
visitors up to the Chiado quarter, an shopping
area. Here it is interesting to visit the
Teatro Lirico de Sao Carlos (built at the
end of the 18th century), Museu do Chiado
(with its collection of 19th and 20th century
art Portuguese art) and the Igreja de Sao
Roque, the best place to begin a tour of Baroque
Lisbon. Very close to this, in the Museu Arqueologico
do Carmo (the Archaeological Museum), is to
be found a great collection of tombstones,
amongst which is the "Monchique Stone"
with inscriptions written in Hebrew. Until
the 14th century, there was a small Jewish
quarter here, built on land that Dom Dinis
had given to their chief rabbi, Judas Navarro.
On the same hill is Bairro Alto, a quarter
with a particularly lively night life, enlivened
by the many small restaurants in the area.
At the time of the Portuguese Maritime Discoveries
(15th and 16th centuries), this land was owned
by a number of Jewish families.
Belem
Close to the river, in Belem,
the point of departure of the great fleets
of ships which made this golden age possible
is marked by the Tower of Belem, (classified
by UNESCO as World Heritage), built to defend
the river, between 1515 and 1521, and one
of the most gracious and elegant examples
of the Manueline style of architecture (a
unique form of Portuguese Gothic architecture,which
took the name of the king of that time, Dom
Manuel 1, although it had in fact first begun
to appear even before he came to the throne).
The Mosteiro dos Jeronimos (also classified
as World Heritage) is another masterpiece
from the Manueline period of architecture.Amongst
the rich collection of statues carved into
the southern portal is one depicting Moses.
Several museums of great interest also add
to the attractions of this area: the Coach
Museum (Museu dos Caches) has a unique collection
of 16th to 20th century coaches and horese-drawn
carriages, in particular those from the Baroque
period; the Naval Museum (Museu de Mafinha)
has a number of exhibits that are connected
with the Portugugese Discoveries, some of
which owe their existence to the work of Jewish
scientists (such as the astrolabes that were
perfected at that time); the Archaeological
museum (Museu Nacional de Arqueologia); and
also the Belem Cultural Center, an example
of much more recent architecture, with its
remarkablr program of exhibitions and concerts.
At the end of the last century,
several groups of Jews from Gibraltar formed a community that ordered the building
of the Shaare Tikva (Gates of Hope) Synagogue.
This building of sober appearance, the work
of the Portuguese architect Ventura Terra,
is located at No. 59 Rua Alexandre Herculano,
in the centre of the city.
Several of the most important museums in Lisbon bear
witness to the Jewish presence in the city. In addition to its interesting
collection of exhibits about the history of Lisbon, the City Museum
(Museu da Cidade) in the north of the city has a collection of engravings
on the theme of the Inquisition and the "autos-da-fe" that
continued to be carried out until the 18th century. Amongst some of
the finest paintings at the National Museum of Ancient Art (Museu Nacional
de Arte Antiga), one of the most important museums in the country, is
the portrait of a 16th century Jew, painted by Grao Vasco. The Paineis
de Sao Vicente (the polyptych from St. Vincent's altar), attributed
to the great 15th century Portuguese artist Nuno Goncalves, is a masterpiece
in its representation of the different figures of the period, from all
walks of life. There are some authors who maintain that in the first
panel on the fight the figure seen holding a book is Jewish.
In the eastern part of the
city, not far from the site of the 1998 World
Exhibition, is the Painted Tile Museum (Museu
do Azulejo), which is housed inside a former
16th century convent and contains a unique
collection of Portuguese azulejos. Particularly
interesting are a panel of azulejos depicting
various scenes from the Old
Testament (the sacrifice of Abraham, and
Moses being protected from the waters of the
Nile) and another panel which is of great
historical importance since it depicts the
city of Lisbon before the earthquake of 1755.
The museum of the Arpad Szenes-Vieira da Silva
Foundation, in the Jardim das Amoreiras, close
to the beautiful 18th century aqueduct (Aqueduto
das Aguas Livres) contains a collection of
paintings by the famous artist of Jewish origin
who was married to the Portuguese artist Maria
Helena Vieira da Silva.
Other
places of interest
Traveling westwards from
Lisbon, along the bank of the river Tagus
and toward the Atlantic Ocean, the visitor
arrives at Estoril, a cosmopolitan centre,
with its world famous casino, golf courses
and grand prix car racing circuit. Further
on is Cascais, a small seaside town, with
many lively restaurants and bars and an interesting
architectural heritage. The town of Sintra,
perfectly integrated into the surrounding
landscape in its delightful setting of exuberant
green woodland, was recently uniquely classified
by UNESCO as a "cultural landscape."
Palacio da Vila, the former
Royal Palace, where Dom Joao I (who reigned
from 1385-1433) took the decision to send
an expedition to Ceuta, thereby initiating
the golden age of Portuguese Maritime Expansion.
It was during this period that the Jewish
quarter in this area grew around the Palace,
greatly contributing to the flourishing of
economic and literary activity. Later, Dom
Manuel I introduced a number of details that
were drawn from Moslem decoration, namely
panels of Mudejar azulejos in the interior
rooms, as well as certain architectural details
from the Manueline style. In the reign of
Dom Joao 111 (1521-1557), the Palace was frequently
visited by men of letters and humanists who
spoke Latin, Hebrew and Greek. High above
Sintra, overlooking the surrounding hills
and the ruins of the nearby 8th century Moorish
Castle, stands the Palacio da Pena, a fine
example of romantic taste in its eclectic
blend of styles. Close to Sintra is the most
westerly point of continental Europe, Cabo
da Roca, a sheer headland which falls dramatically
into the sea.
Elsewhere in this area, in
the town of Mafra, is an enormous Baroque
palace-monastery, with a magnificent library
decorated in the rocaille style and surrounded
by a splendid hunting ground. On the way back
to Lisbon, it is well worth paying a visit
to the Palacio de Queluz, built in the rococo
style and affording a clear expression of
the aristocratic society of the second half
of the 18th century. Set in the most beautiful
gardens, it was previously the summer residence
of the kings and queens of Portugal. Today,
its room still contain their original period
furniture and the palace and garden are used
for cultural activities in the summer months.
Sources: Journey to Jewish Portugal courtesy
of the Portuguese
National Tourist Office; Photos by Antonio Sachetti. |
