Church of S. Roque, Lisbon, Portugal

The church of São Roque was one of the first Jesuit churches in the world.
In the early 16th century, Lisbon was being devastated by a plague and King Manuel I sent to Venice for a relic of Saint Roch, patron saint of plague victims. The relic was carried in procession up the hill, to the cemetery for the plague victims, outside the city walls. Lisbon's inhabitants then decided to erect a small shrine to house the relic.
The first Jesuits arrived in Portugal in 1540, invited by King John III and they selected the shrine of Saint Roch as their permanent location. They decided to build a church adequate to the importance of their order, which was concluded by the end of the 16th century.
In 1759 the Jesuits were implicated in a revolt against the king and Prime Minister Marquis of Pombal expelled them from the country. The church of São Roque was later donated to Santa Casa da Misericórdia (a charity) that still owns and operates the site today.
Each one of the chapels of São Roque's is a masterpiece of Baroque art but the chapel of Saint John the Baptist is considered the most expensive chapel in the world (pictured below). In contrast, the exterior of the church is as plain as it gets.

Opening hours: Mon 2 to 7 p.m., Tue-Wed and Fri-Sun 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Thu 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Entrance free

Back to Lisbon





Chapel of Saint John the Baptist








Local: Lisboa, Portugal

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