Portugal - Lisbon, Igreja de São Domingos

The Igreja de São Domingos (Saint Domingos Church) was dedicated in 1241 and was - at one time - the largest church in Lisbon. Prior to the establishment of the Portuguese republic in 1910, the church hosted Portuguese royal weddings. It was once the home of the inquisition.

Most probably no other church of Lisbon was damaged by so many disasters like the earthquakes of 1531 and 1755 (which destroyed most of the center of Lisbon). Rebuilding began quickly, but wasn't completed until 1807. In 1959 the church was devastated again after a fire broke out. The fire took more than six hours to extinguish and completely gutted the church, destroying the gilded altars and many important paintings and statues. In was not until 1994 before the church was reopened. The restoration left many signs of the fire in place.

The present Igreja de São Domingos - a combination of sections of the original church with later reconstructions - has a somewhat haunting interior with its orange/red plastered walls and massive stone pillars with still traces of the fire. This ‘strange’ combination of ancient and more modern architecture made it (at least for us) quite an unique sight.