Lisbon Trip Overview
Évora is the capital of the south-central region of Portugal, the Alentejo. In the historic center of the city is the ancient Roman Temple of Évora (also known as Temple of Diana). Nearby, whitewashed houses surround the Cathedral of Évora, a huge Gothic structure that began in the 12th century. The Church of São Francisco has Gothic and Baroque architecture, together with the Chapel of Bones, decorated with bones.
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Duration: 9 hours
Starts: Lisbon, Portugal
Trip Category: Cultural & Theme Tours >> Cultural Tours
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What to Expect When Visiting Lisbon, Central Portugal, Portugal
Évora is the capital of the south-central region of Portugal, the Alentejo. In the historic center of the city is the ancient Roman Temple of Évora (also known as Temple of Diana). Nearby, whitewashed houses surround the Cathedral of Évora, a huge Gothic structure that began in the 12th century. The Church of São Francisco has Gothic and Baroque architecture, together with the Chapel of Bones, decorated with bones.
Stop At: Templo Romano de Evora (Templo de Diana), Largo do Conde de Vila Flor 4 Centro Histórico, Evora 7000-804 Portugal
Although the Roman temple of Évora is sometimes called Temple of Diana, it is known that the association with the Roman goddess of the hunt originated from a legend created in century XVII. In fact, the temple was probably built in honor of the emperor Augustus, who was venerated as a god during and after his reign. The temple was built in the first century AD in the main square (forum) of Évora – then called Liberalitas Julia – and modified in the second and third centuries. Evora was invaded by the Germanic peoples in the fifth century, and it was at this time that the temple was destroyed; nowadays, its ruins are the only vestiges of the Roman forum in the city.
Duration: 30 minutes
Stop At: Cathedral of Evora (Se Catedral de Evora), Largo do Marques de Marialva Centro Histórico, Evora 7000-809 Portugal
Basilica Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption, better known as the Cathedral of Évora, or simply Sé de Évora, although begun in 1186 and consecrated in 1204, this cathedral of granite was only completed in 1250. It is a monument marked by the transition of the Romanesque style to the Gothic, marked by three majestic ships. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the cathedral received major improvements, dating from that time to the choir, pulpit, baptistery and arch of the chapel of Nossa Senhora da Piedade, also known as Esporão Chapel, a rare example of Plateresque hybrid architecture, dating from 1529. From the Baroque period date some gold-toned altarpieces and other occasional improvements in the sumptuous decorations. Still in the 18th century the cathedral was enriched with the construction of the new main chapel, sponsored by King D. João V, where the exuberance of the marbles was wisely combined with the Roman-Gothic austerity of the temple. In 1930, at the request of the Archbishop of Évora, Pope Pius XI granted the Cathedral the title of Smaller Basilica.
Duration: 40 minutes
Stop At: Igreja de Sao Francisco, Praca 1 de Maio, Evora 7000-656 Portugal
According to tradition, the Convent of St. Francis of Evora was the first house of the Franciscan Order in Portugal, having been founded in the 13th century. According to the canons of the Rule of St. Francis, the early monastic church had three naves, with chapels communicating with each other. In this primitive building there were several important ceremonies, such as the marriage of D. Pedro I with D. Constança Manuel. From this period there remain a few vestiges, as attested by the cracks that line the main porch. The church would be remodeled at the end of the fifteenth century, having built the magnificent temple that today subsists and which is one of the most impressive Portuguese churches. Respecting the original limits, the three ships were replaced by the single subsisting nave, covered by the bold gothic-Manueline vault that reaches twenty-four meters high. The Convent of St. Francis then lived its golden moments, when the court of King Afonso V began to settle in the convent space during his stays in Évora. In this way, the church of San Francisco was elevated to the category of Royal Chapel, hence the multiple royal emblems of D. João II and D. Manuel I. At this time, the monastery received the title of Convent of Gold, such as the wealth with which the Royal Family decorated it.
In these years of splendor (which in some way contradicted the Franciscan spirituality (of poverty and simplicity), a less glorious period followed, accentuated by the loss of independence (in 1580). In the eighteenth century, several altarpieces of gold and marble carvings were built (most of them subsidized by the granaries of the respective chapels, where they had a private burial place).
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Capela dos Ossos, Praca 1 de Maio, Evora 7000-650 Portugal
Chapel of bones
Bones Chapel
Gothic Style
Beginning of the building Seventeenth century
Religion Christianity
Website igrejadesaofrancisco.pt
Geography
Country Portugal Portugal
Region Alentejo
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Vision of the Interior Walls
The Bones Chapel is one of the most famous monuments in Évora, Portugal. It is located in the Church of San Francisco. It was built in the 17th century on the initiative of three Franciscan monks who, in the spirit of the time (religious counterrevolution, according to the norms of the Council of Trent), intended to convey the message of the transience of life, as can be seen from the famous warning at the entrance: “We bones here we are waiting for you.” Besides the spiritual question, there was also a physical question, which is; there were in the region of Évora forty-two monastic cemeteries that were occupying too much space and strategic places that many intended to use for other purposes. Thus, they decided to remove the skeletons of the earth and to use them to construct and to decorate the chapel.
The chapel, built on the site of the primitive brotherhood dormitory is formed by 3 naves of 18.70 m in length and 11m in width, entering the light by three small cracks of the left side.
Its walls and eight pillars are “decorated” with bones and skulls connected by brown cement. The vaults are brick-plastered in white, painted with allegorical motifs to death. It is a monument of a penitential architecture of arches ornamented with rows of skulls, cornices and white ships. It has been calculated around five thousand bones, among skulls, vertebrae, femurs and others, coming from cemeteries, located in churches and convents of the city, and which were connected with brown cement and are arranged by the walls, ceiling, columns and even outside . There are still two whole skeletons hanging by chains on one of the walls, one of which is that of a child.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Enoturismo Cartuxa, Quinta de Valbom, Evora Portugal
Visit to Cartuxa winery, with wine tasting included.
Duration: 1 hour
Stop At: Barragem do Alqueva, at Boundry of Beja & Evora Districts Hwy. N384 N/W of Moura, Moura Portugal
Visit to one of the most beautifull view site of Portugal, in Alqueva’s dam.
Duration: 30 minutes
