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My Escapes Portugal Another Lovely Trip to Portugal! Lisbon Dipping Into Lisbon The Carmo Convent
The Carmo Convent
One of Lisbon's top attractions is the ruined Carmo Convent building, a medieval monastery in the Chiado neighbourhood.
The ruined Carmo Convent is clearly visible from many parts of Lisbon, including the Rossio Square.
It too was ruined during the 1755 Great Lisbon Earthquake, which destroyed much of the Portuguese capital. Perhaps because it was never fully restored, it became a special attraction.
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The Gothic convent was constructed between 1389-1423, founded by the knight Nuno Álvares Pereira for the Carmelite Order.
It's in the Chiado neighbourhood, which near Bairro Alto.
Viewed from the Rossio Square
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The Gothic church, is what lies in ruins, but most of its side walls and arches are intact.
Inside the convent there is an archaeological museum, part of which is found behind the ruined churches walls.
Viewed from the Santa Justa Elevator's terrace
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I walked around in the Chiado area and slowly walked up to the monastery. You can do that too or, take the nearby Santa Justa Elevator, which will take 5 EUR out of your pockets.
A stone tomb
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The ruined nave of the church has a special atmosphere.
I stayed there for a while, photographing and contemplating the elements of the architecture...
The monastery bears similarities with the famous Monastery of Batalha.
The museum holds various interesting artifacts, including Spanish-Moorish azulejos, but also some objects from Visigoth and Roman periods.
Part of the Carmo Convent is being used by the Republican Guard.
During the Carnation Revolution, the Estado Novo's president, Marcelo Caetano had his headquarters here.
One must take at least a short walk in the area around the Convento da Carmo...
Perhaps stop by at a local restaurant for a coffee or have a taste of octopus, codfish, perhaps...
There was a nice open-air restaurant right at the entrance of the convent. I was planning to go and have an octopus, but I ran out of time, getting lost in Lisbon's beautiful details.
In fact, I entered deep into Bairro Alto from here. The sights just kept dragging me deeper and deeper. It's a marvelous neighbourhood.
If you're passionate about design and architecture, you'll find it hard to stop!
Besides, this part of Lisbon is also renowned for its clubs, night life, great restaurants and bars...
But do take into account that this is one of Lisbon's risky areas, especially during the night. Gang attacks, violent theft occur frequently.
Ship motif - so often seen in Portuguese architecture
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About the Author:
Escape Hunter, the young solo traveler in his early 30's explores the World driven by curiosity, thirst for adventure, deep passion for beauty, love for freedom and diversity.
With a nuanced, even humorous approach to travel, an obsession for art and design, Escape Hunter prefers to travel slowly, in order to learn and "soak up" the local atmosphere...
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As "Escape Hunter" - the curious incognito traveler with an insatiable drive to explore, I embark on slow and deep travels around
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The ruined nave of the church