Ruins of Carmo’s Church - The Olisipographer

Ruins of Carmo's Church

Carmo’s Church, one of the few medieval and gothic buildings that still exist in Lisbon, has numerous episodes in its history that are worth of mentioning here. The article will be long, we promise we will try to keep it interesting. 😅

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Let’s start from the beginning, Carmo’s Convent and Church and were built by the order of Nuno Álvares Pereira, the Saint Constable, do we know who he was?

Well, after the death of King Fernando I (1367-83), a dynastic crisis put the Portuguese throne in Castilian bums. The popular revolt did not take long to hatch. The population imposed that the crown would be given to a Portuguese king. They went to get João de Aviz, illegitimate son of Pedro I (1357-67) and crowned him king. As one can imagine, the Castilians were not very happy and immediately declared us war. This is the point where our protagonist comes in. In the Battle of Aljubarrota (1385), by using the square military tactic, Nuno Álvares Pereira managed to put the Castilians on their way out. And that’s it, a new monarch and a new dynasty to make way for one of the most important periods of our history.

As a way of celebrating ang thanking for the victory, the new king João I, Master of Avis, built the Monastery of Santa Maria da Vitória, also known as Batalha Monastery. With the same intention, Nuno Álvares Pereira idealized another monument, Nossa Senhora do Vencimento’s Convent, at the top of a slope in Lisbon, in front of the already existing S. Jorge’s Castle.

After the Pope´s authorization, the works began in 1389. It was a huge challenge for the master builder at the time. Given the location and quality of the ground, the foundations gave in twice. We’ve read that in the face of so much difficulty, Álvares Pereira shouted: “It will be done, even if the foundations are in bronze!” Well, in bronze or not, it must have been well done because, even without the celling, after more than 600 years and a huge earthquake, the church is still there. 😜

The works took thirty-four years to be completed. In 1423 the impressive Carmo’s Convent, as it became known, was erected. Nuno Álvares Pereira handed it to the friars of the Carmelite order. That same year he donated them all his fortune and joined the Convent. He assumed the name of Friar Nuno de Santa Maria and here he lived, until the died. He was buried in the chancel of the church. Also, this gentleman became a saint. In 1918 he was beatified by Pope Benedict XV and, in 2009, with the name of St. Nuno de Santa Maria, canonized by Pope Benedict XVI.

The Carmo’s Convent remained as so for about four centuries. In times when the Catholic Church had a central importance in society, Carmo became one of the richest and powerful institutions in the city. In this early phase, both the convent and the church have experienced the normal changes and renewals that the passing of time requires. In this article, we’ll focus on the Church. An article about the Convent will be published soon.

On November 1, 1755, a large earthquake violently shook the whole city. Multiple fires followed. It certainly did not help the fact that it was All Saints’ Day and that a lot of people were lighting candles for their deceased loved ones. The result is what we can see, literally. The church was seriously damaged and its abundant artistic and religious collection burned.

People say that the famous popular expression “cair o Carmo e a Trindade” – in English “the collapse of Carmo and Trindade” – usually used to describe tragic circumstances, was born from this situation. In fact, the earthquake caused the ruin of these two important and neighbours convents.

Reconstruction works began the following year, but only in the Convent, where the friars lived. Interestingly, respecting the original architectural style, Gothic. Something unusual at that time. In general, awareness and respect for the heritage conservation emerges later.

At a time when the architectural style was Baroque, one would expect the reconstruction to be carried out with these architectural features.

Sign of the passage of time and change of mentalities, the works were not completed due to lack of financing. In the eighteenth century, the clergy had no longer the power that once had. Thus, Carmo’s Church did not change. Today is a genuine testimony of the catastrophe caused by the great earthquake of 1755.

In the mid-nineteenth century, a new tragedy dictated the definitive end of the Carmelite connection to Carmo. The government decreed the extinction of religious orders and the closure of all convents. Many were abandoned, some were sold in public auction, others began to host state institutions. Moreover, there was a huge pillage of all sacred art and religious heritage.

From 1845, Carmo’s convent facilities were converted in the General Command of the Guards of Portugal. The church, in ruin, was abandoned for several years. It served as a deposit of manure and garbage. The Government still thought in transforming it into public baths or demolish everything and build a viewpoint. Fortunately, as we can see, the sentence was different.

In 1863, Joaquim Possidónio Narciso da Silva founded the Royal Association of Portuguese Civil Architects and Archaeologists. Nowadays, the Association of Portuguese Archaeologists (AAP). Consequence of all the tragedies that occurred in the previous years – the Lisbon Earthquake (1755), the French invasions (1807-1810), the extinction of the religious orders (1834) and the consequent disappearance of much patrimony- the APP assumed as its own mission to recover and preserve artistic and identity heritage. Hence, in the following year, the inauguration of the first museum of art and archaeology in the country, Carmo’s Archaeological Museum (MAC), based in the ruins of the former Carmo Church.

One can imagine that if the ruins were abandoned and full of trash for several years, the vast majority of this Museum’s estate was gathered and brought here by AAP and its members. As mentioned, the association was born from a sense of urgency to recover and protect all kind of heritage. Hence the wide variety of artifacts, pieces and objects, architectural, archaeological and historical, of the most varied origins. The museum is worth the visit for what we will not dwell on describing the experience. We’ll just leave here a few stories that we found too good not to be shared. 😜

In the sixteenth century, the famous and controversial issue of the indulgences – divine forgiveness and/or the salvation of the soul in exchange for donations to the Church – caused many dissents and, consequently, essentially in northern Europe, the emergence of Protestant churches. The Iberian Peninsula remained extremely Catholic. After five centuries, it is curious to find direct testimonies of this time in history. In this case, the inscriptions that are on the side walls of the main door. Pay attention, can you decipher those phrases? On the right side, the writing refers forty days of forgiveness to all the believers who visit the Carmo’s Church and kiss the cross. On the left side, Bishop Ambrósio gives to all visitors, forty days of remission of sins and also, forgiveness to the soul of Branca Rodrigues Talheira, for the donation of her wealth to the Convent. Isn’t it interesting?

Upon entering the main door, we come across the central nave of the old church. According to the founder of AAP, when they received the church to install their headquarters and the Museum, “the 14 canary steps at the entrance were underground, and the rubble inside ascended to such a point, that to clear it, 8,000 carts were used! “. 😬

In this open-air museum, there are innumerous architectural and sculptural pieces. Although we did not find this reference in the Museum, there are sources from the early twentieth century mentioning that the fifteenth-century baptismal font where all the João I’s sons were baptized, is part of this Museum’s collection. If it’s true, we are talking about the font where the illustrious generation (Ínclita Geração) – named as such by Luís de Camões in “Os Lusíadas”, was baptized. The one that opened the doors to the Portuguese Maritime Expansion. We do not know if this information is accurate or self-interest of certain sources consulted. 😜

Consequences of the earthquake there was no wall separating the central nave from the covered rooms of the museum. In order to protect the collections, an iron and glass wall was built. As you can see in the pictures, the current brick wall and the Manueline window that came from the Jerónimos Monastery were built years later.

In room one, the darkened ceiling is still the result of the from the post-earthquake fires. 🤯 Actually, when AAP took over the ruins, keeping them was an option. In the mid -nineteenth century, intellectual people had a romantic taste for ancient monuments and the marks of history.

In room Three, the former chancel, one can find the primitive grave of Nuno Álvares Pereira. Taken from a guide of Portugal from the early twentieth century, “written in collaboration of the most distinguished Portuguese writers”, here is a unique quote about this grave: “For a long time, the church was a place of pilgrimage for the people of Lisbon, who would go dancing and singing around the hero’s tomb.” 😳 As we can see, today it is empty, but don’t be concerned, the guy’s bones are not lost. They were taken to São Vicente’s Church, then to Jerónimos Monastery, to the small Church of the Third Order of Carmelites and today, finally, they rest in the Church of Santo Condestável, in Campo de Ourique.

Still in the old chancel is the tomb of King Fernando I (1367-1383), the one whose death caused the dynastic crisis. There will be other opportunities to talk about his reign, but for now we would like to leave two notes.

Fernando I was the son of Pedro I and his first wife, Constança Manuel, who died when he was still very young. His father had other women, including Inês de Castro, with whom he lived a great and contested love. Apparently, King Fernando I was very embarrassed by this situation. He left in his will that the throne could never be assumed by his illegitimate brothers, children of Inês, but he also made a point of having an elaborate grave to his mother. Since King Pedro I had built his grave with Inês de Castro, his lover, in the Alcobaça Monastery, having an elaborate grave for his mother was his way of telling the world that who was the true queen. When he died, mother and son were buried, side by side, in the Convent of San Francisco, in Santarém.

It was already in the nineteenth century that the tombs were brought to the Museum. Note that in his grave, King Fernando I has the royal coat of arms, that he inherits from his father, but also the coat of arms from his mother. This is something unusual at this time and it also demonstrates the need to leave his mother’s memory recorded in History.

Second note, can you see the big hole in King Fernando I’s tomb? It’s the works of the French soldiers (1807-1810), certainly in search of treasures. The king’s bones have been lost since then. Another funny story (or not), when the expulsion of the religious orders, the Convent of São Francisco, where both tombs were at the time, was converted into the nº4 cavalry regiment. When the AAP recovered King Fernando’s tomb ark, the lid was being used as an easel to settle the horse’s saddle and the ark as a drinking trough for the animals. We really have to be able to laugh about these ravages of history. 😳😅

In room four there is the library. Over the bookshelves are portraits of the AAP’s first members. Strangely, there are also two Peruvian mummies. Where did they came from, you may ask. Well, from one of the AAP’s members was Count São Januário, who was a diplomat in various parts of the world. He “suffered” the same urgency of gathering and preserve heritage of the APP. Therefore, during his trips, he collected artistic and patrimonial objects. Eventually, he left his entire collection to Carmo’s Archaeological Museum.

This imponent open-air monument and authentic testimonial of 1755’s earthquake calamity is classified as a National Monument since 1907.

Informations:

- Website: Museu Arqueológico do Carmo

References:

- Arnaud, J. M. (2013) Memória e intervenção, 150 anos da Associação dos Arqueólogos Portugueses. Associação dos Arqueólogos Portugueses: Lisboa
- Dionísio, S. (1988). Guia de Portugal, 1º volume, Lisboa e arredores. Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian: Lisboa.
- Pessoa F. (2015) Lisboa, o que o turista deve ver, Livros Horizonte: Lisboa.
- Arquivo Municipal de Lisboa | PT/AMLSB/CMLSBAH/PS/004/02/0182 (1854-11-25)
- Visita Guiada – Ruínas do Carmo Episódio 12, 23 de maio de 2016, temporada 6, programa de Paula Moura Pinheiro na RTP
- https://www.museuarqueologicodocarmo.pt/mac.html
- https://www.infopedia.pt/apoio/artigos/$convento-do-carmo-(lisboa)
- http://www.monumentos.gov.pt/Site/APP_PagesUser/SIPA.aspx?id=6521
- https://ensina.rtp.pt/artigo/convento-do-carmo-o-gotico-monumental-de-lisboa/

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