View of Lisbon National Pantheon and River Tagus from São Vicente da Fora monastery

I only went to São Vicente de Fora monastery because I’d heard it had a good viewpoint.

“It’s the best view of Lisbon,” promised the man on reception, “But before the view, there is all this to see,” he said, waving his hand towards a faded poster showing the highlights of the museum.

At this point, I was still only really interested in the view but set off with an open mind to explore the monastery.

The first thing to impress me was the grande baroque style entrance hall, still doing its job after hundreds of years. Panels of blue and white azulejos painted with full-length portraits of kings adorn the walls. The floor is a mosaic of coloured marble and the low vaulted ceiling is cleverly painted with a 3-D effect that creates an illusion of height.

Very grand entrance hall, São Vicente de Fora Monastery, Lisbon, Portugal
Very grand baroque entrance hall, São Vicente de Fora Monastery.

There’s very little furniture in the entrance hall but this reliquary chest caught my eye. It contains the bones of several 16th century martyrs who were killed trying to spread Christianity in Morocco.

16th century reliquary chest, São Vicente de Fora Monastery
16th century reliquary chest, São Vicente de Fora Monastery

I spent very little time in the religious history section but if anyone’s interested in finding out about the history of the Catholic church in Portugal, there’s plenty of detail and artefacts here. Even though I didn’t linger, I couldn’t help noticing that the full set of priestly robes includes matching socks and booties.

Green and gold vestments, São Vicente de Fora Monastery
Everything matches! São Vicente de Fora Monastery

Also worthy of note, in my opinion at least, is the Jesus doll which comes with 25 different outfits.

Jesus doll with change of outfit, São Vicente de Fora Monastery
What shall I wear today? São Vicente de Fora Monastery

I passed through the cloisters, stopping occasionally to admire the scenes depicted in the azulejos that line its walls. Everything from rural life to royal events is covered in these paintings, providing a fascinating insight into life in 18th century Portugal.

Moving on, the pantheon holds some rather impressive royal tombs.

Marble tomb of Dom João IV, São Vicente de Fora Monastery
The marble tomb of Dom João IV rests at the head of the pantheon in São Vicente de Fora.

One of the highlights for me was the sacristy. Floor to ceiling coloured inlaid marble decorates the walls and the ceiling is a giant oil painting. The two beautiful wooden chests used to hold the vestments and the room served as the priests’ dressing room.

Sacristy, São Vicente de Fora monastery, Lisbon
Sacristy, São Vicente de Fora monastery, Lisbon
 Inlaid marble panel, sacristy, São Vicente de Fora monastery, Lisbon
Inlaid marble panel of the sacristy,São Vicente de Fora Monastery

I paid scant attention to the collection of shells housed in a side room and offered a cursory glance at the fragments of cloth and ceramics on display.

Much more interesting is the display of 38 azulejo panels entitled Fábulas (Fables). Each panel illustrates a fable written by the French poet and philosopher Jean de la Fontaine. Originally commissioned in the late 18th century to decorate the monastery cloisters, the panels are now displayed alongside a copy of the original illustrations and the story it represents, in English, French and Portuguese. Here’s an example:

painted azulejo depicting a fable, São Vicente de Fora Monastery
An old man and his children – a fable by la Fontaine. São Vicente de Fora Monastery

An old man and his children

An old man gathered his children around his deathbed and said, “My children, try to break this bundle of sticks without untying them.” Each of them tried, from the youngest to the oldest, but not one of them was able to break the bundle. Next, the old man untied the bundle and broke each stick individually. A very clever way of getting the message across that they should stick together (pardon the pun).

Once I’d had my fill of moral tales, I did what I originally came here for and climbed the stairs to the rooftop. The day I visited was stormy indeed so the view, whilst impressive, was not as far-reaching or clear as it might be. I battled the wind and grabbed some photos before huge splats of rain forced me back inside.

View from São Vicente de Fora Monastery, Lisbon
The storm was closing in but you can just make out the Abril 25 bridge and the statue of Christ across the River Tagus. São Vicente de Fora Monastery

As you can see, there’s a lot more to the monastery than great views, especially if you like azulejos (hand painted tiles) and marble.

If you come on a Tuesday or Saturday, you could combine your trip with a nosey around the famous Feira da Ladra flea market which takes place behind the church. I’d also recommend going to the nearby National Pantheon for yet more amazing marble, noble tombs and stunning views.

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4-Day Travel Itinerary for Lisbon and Sintra

Practicalities for visiting São Vicente da Fora Monastery

São Vicente de Fora monastery is to the right of the church steps in Largo de São Vicente in Graça. Take tram 28 and get off at the Feira da Ladra (Flea market).

It’s open every day except Monday from 10 am to 6pm with last entry at 5pm.

Entry costs 5 euros with no discounts for Lisbon Card holders.

 

18 Comments

  1. Thanks Julie! A place to add to my list for my trip this summer! I love the photo of the inlaid marble sacristy! 🙂

    1. It’s even better in real life, Cat! If you like marble, you should definitely go to the National Pantheon too.

  2. Very nice coverage and photographs of the monastery and Lisbon, Julie.
    Thanks for sharing.

    1. Author

      Thank you Stefano, I’m glad you liked it.

  3. Absolutly marvelouse..!

    1. Author

      Thanks, Carlos!

  4. I must be due another visit to Lisbon soon, Julie. That view is fabulous. Guaranteed sunshine? (it’s snowing here at present)

    1. Author

      Nothing’s guaranteed, Jo. It was the stormiest weather I’ve experienced in Portugal the day I went down to Lisbon last time. I didn’t think we were going to make it and I got drenched on Sunday. The day I went to the monastery was very mixed but it was possible to do a lot in between showers. My advice if it starts raining – duck into a ginginha bar for a warming tot of cherry brandy 😉

  5. Absolutely stunning, I’m just sorry to have missed it when I visited Portugal last year. I became positively obsessed with the azulejos and it looks like there were some incredible ones here. To think that they were all hand painted is just mind boggling.

    1. Author

      I know, they must have taken such a long time to paint. I especially liked that there was some explanation of what they represent as it’s not always obvious and they just become a blur of historical scenes otherwise.

  6. Beautiful! Definitely gives me more reason to travel to Lisbon again!

    1. Thanks, Cat. I can give you plenty more reasons, too!

  7. Great photos and information about the Monastery, Julie. I never visited it and will have to go there next time I to to Portugal.

    1. Hi Sami, I was surprised and impressed by it as I’m not usually overly excited by monasteries and churches. I hope you like it when you go there!

  8. Wow to the view, and the artefacts! I can appreciate the stitching in the robes, but wouldn’t even begin to consider doing any of the stitches EVER again! It was enough to try them at college. As for the doll clothes – I’ve never seen anything like that before.

    1. You’re right, it must have taken such a long time to embroider all those clothes. The doll was a new one on me, too, but I’ve since come across it elsewhere.

  9. Thanks so much for this information and beautiful photos, Julie! We’re going to Lisbon at the end of April… guess what we will visit? 😉

    1. Hi Marion, I hope you like it! I really enjoyed the national Pantheon, which is just downhill from the monastery (blog post in the works). If you’re in the area and have time, it’s worth popping in and climbing to the top. You can decide for yourself which gives you the best views of Lisbon!

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