# Panteão Nacional - en By [EVM ](https://paragraph.com/@evm-2) · 2023-06-14 --- Versão [portuguesa](https://mirror.xyz/madeinpt.eth/TeSbuyXzWb86EE4obm-LJrEfi5E7vAkOnDDPYKFGx7s) aqui. GPS 38.715479936878225, -9.124726415344165 Four hundred years of construction earned the popular adage “Obras de Santa Engrácia” to the monument that is now the National Pantheon. The church of Santa Engrácia suffered many vicissitudes, in a lengthy construction process that began in the last quarter of the 16th century. Only the story of the desecration of the tabernacle and the accusation of Simão Solis, whose unjust death sentence motivated the curse on the works of Santa Engracia, doomed to remain eternally dragged down in time, survives from the primitive church. Despite the commitment of the powerful Brotherhood of the Slaves of the Blessed Sacrament, formed to repair the affront suffered and build a majestic temple, the bold baroque project, by João Antunes, whose construction began in 1682, remained uncovered until the beginning of the 1960s, when the Estado Novo regime decided to finish the building and continue the 1916 law, which determined the adaptation of the temple to the National Pantheon. The political decision sought to use the image of the monument that stubbornly remained unfinished, over several generations, to prove the regime's ability to effectively resolve challenges. So, in just over two years, a double dome in concrete was designed, coated with lioz stone, the interior was restored, rich in different types of stone, and the remains of the personalities to be honored were transferred. On December 7, 1966, on the occasion of the fortieth anniversary of the Estado Novo, Santa Engrácia – National Pantheon was inaugurated, in the same year that the Bridge over the Tagus started to join Lisbon to Almada. **From the primitive parish to the bold unfinished baroque church** Infanta D. Maria (1521-1577), the last daughter of King D. Manuel I, sensitive to the arts and endowed with an unusual culture, sponsored the construction of the first parish church dedicated to the holy martyr of Lusitanian origin, who died in Zaragoza in the 17th century. IV. This temple was built according to the design of the architect Nicolau de Frias, little is known about the evolution of the works in the first two decades of the 17th century. In 1621, it was Teodósio de Frias who continued his father's work, seeking its completion. A few years later, in 1630, the episode of the temple's desecration took place, with the theft of the consecrated hosts, kept in the chancel's tabernacle. Simão Solis, a New Christian who had been seen hanging around the temple, was accused of the crime. Condemned to death at the stake, he will have always sworn his innocence, as certain as the work on the church of Santa Engracia will never come to an end. The Brotherhood of Slaves of the Blessed Sacrament was immediately created, with the membership of 100 noble nobles, committed to repairing the affront committed. The powerful brotherhood ordered the construction of a new chancel by the architect Mateus do Couto (nephew). Started in 1632, it would suddenly collapse, about fifty years later. The disaster led the influential brotherhood to decide to build a new temple and, in 1681, the project by master João Antunes (1643-1712) was chosen. Strange to national architecture, the program was based on a centralized plan, in a Greek cross, where the four arms of equal size were joined externally by undulating walls, marked at the angles by turrets, whose scale, rhythm and proportion gave it an Italian affiliation. At the time of the architect's death, in 1712, the church was still unfinished, lacking the roof, interior finishes and other minor elements. The delay in the development of completion works gave rise, among Lisbon residents, to the popular adage of Obras de Santa Engrácia, applied to everything that presented a delay in execution. **Military Occupation and National Worship Space** With the extinction of the religious orders in 1834, the temple of Santa Engrácia was handed over to the Army, which, after covering the central space with a zinc dome, adapted it as the headquarters of the 2nd battalion of the National Guard of Lisbon, later the armament factory and also the shoe production workshop. Despite the military occupation, the idea of ​​providing for the rehabilitation and completion of the church continued to represent a challenge for the most distinguished architects, unhappy with the incomplete state of the most beautiful of our 17th century monuments, as Ramalho Ortigão characterizes it. The suggestion of making it a national pantheon, making it one of the most imposing buildings in Europe, was presented by the writer in his work entitled “O Culto da Arte em Portugal”, published in 1896. By decree of June 16, 1910, the church was classified as a National Monument, and the decision to adapt it to the National Pantheon was taken during the Republic, in April 1916. Until the 1930s, however, its military occupation continued. **Restoration or finishing: the search for a solution** In 1956, several architects were invited to present proposals for the completion of the building. There were seven who submitted their studies, some preserved in archives, such as those by António Lino, Joaquim Areal e Silva, Raul Lino and Luís Amoroso Lopes. Amoroso Lopes considered the proposed challenge from two different perspectives. The first, from the perspective of completing an unfinished building. The second, when considering the monument as the target of a restoration, where the action should be minimal, just enough to allow its use. It was this last attitude that gathered the greatest consensus. **The end of the myth and adaptation to the National Pantheon** In 1964, António de Oliveira Salazar visited the monument, deciding to take advantage of an image trapped in the popular superstition of an endless work, ordering its completion in two years. The inauguration would coincide with the celebrations of the Fortieth Anniversary of the regime, in 1966. At a particularly difficult time, it was important to show the Portuguese and the world how the Estado Novo had the strength to destroy myths of incapacity. The construction of the roof then began, with a double domed structure in concrete, clad in stonework, having been conceived, which earned the praise of Edgar Cardoso. **Funeral personalities and program** The designation of national figures to deserve homage in the national pantheon was one of the attributions of the Consultative Commission for the works of Santa Engrácia, constituted at the end of 1965, under the presidency of the historian Damião Peres. For the Central Nave, the choice fell on Camões, Vasco da Gama, D. Nuno Álvares Pereira, Afonso de Albuquerque, Pedro Álvares Cabral and Infante D. Henrique, having opted for a merely evocative memorial solution, based on cenotaphs, without the physical presence of the mortal remains of noble figures. For the tomb rooms, formed in the corners of the temple, the transfer of the personalities buried in the former Chapter room of the Jerónimos Monastery was agreed, namely: the former Presidents of the Republic, Teófilo Braga, Sidónio Pais and Óscar Carmona, and the writers Almeida Garrett, João de Deus and Guerra Junqueiro. Since its inauguration, the National Pantheon has received the remains of General Humberto Delgado, in 1990, followed by the artist Amália Rodrigues, in 2001, the first President of the Republic, Manuel de Arriaga, in 2004, the writer Aquilino Ribeiro, in 2007, the writer Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen, in 2014 and the soccer player Eusébio da Silva Ferreira, in 2015. **Decorative and surrounding program** The building's new sculptural program was carried out by sculptors António Duarte (1912-1998) and Leopoldo de Almeida (1898-1975). The first was responsible for the execution of the statues on the main façade. Leopoldo de Almeida made the images for the interior of the temple. Still inside the temple, the chancel was organized with the placement of the baroque organ from the 18th century, which allowed the reuse of a baroque piece of historical and artistic value that was thus rescued from abandonment. At the same time that the dome was raised and the interior of the temple was being restored, a paved area and a staircase leading to the front were created in the area surrounding the monument, which suited the monumentality of the building and gave the element of surprise to the visitor. . Despite the short period of time, Santa Engrácia was completed at the end of 1966 and, with the inauguration ceremony on December 7, assumed the role of National Pantheon. **An Artistic Value and a National Symbol** The church of Santa Engrácia, despite the vicissitudes it has experienced, reveals a remarkable Baroque plan of Italian import, unique in Portugal. The main façade of the church perfectly reconciles the novelty of Italian Baroque with the most notable and significant architectural practice in Portugal. Already in the galilee, we come across the three portals, enlivened by a decorative work of great relief, attributable to the French sculptor Claude Laprade (1687-1740). In the national coat of arms that tops the rich central portal, we find explicit the national character of the church that was present both in the foundation of the first parish and later in the reconstruction of the temple by the Brotherhood. The imposing appearance and unique character of the work justify its classification as a National Monument and legitimize its choice to house the remains of exceptional Portuguese people. The dynamics of the monument's forms are integrated into a privileged location on one of the city's hills facing the river. The temple stands out in the panorama of Lisbon as a great bulwark. Its terrace offers visitors a unique view of the capital and the Tagus. **Photos:** ![Igreja de Santa Engrácia, Archivo Pittoresco, Vol. VI, 1863](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/a3c31922531f8c224807bf7ce3be07771e44d17f13046703416bd537dd86ecdc.jpg) Igreja de Santa Engrácia, Archivo Pittoresco, Vol. VI, 1863 ![Military footwear factory operating on the premises of the Church of Santa Engrácia in 1939](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/9db7843238f9d2a554abc04467ad1155f7419f362e8bf0454ea30eb713b17c36.jpg) Military footwear factory operating on the premises of the Church of Santa Engrácia in 1939 ![Beginning of the Century XX](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/8ce9eccc28ec6b726b98799d69a13733337f2e4bd80c56d903ff974e317ef0d0.jpg) Beginning of the Century XX ![Feira da Ladra in the early 1950s](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/a0732893043125259f83ce3d69e17bdaeed10d5a33ed760667da40739f2d3926.jpg) Feira da Ladra in the early 1950s ![Watchmaker Ramos, at Feira da Ladra Photo by José Artur Leitão Bárcia (1871?-1945), Lisbon, Arq. photo CML](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/cb762579caf32afa38ab272ccbe7a59d59a095028058a48d208b756d7d07c8af.jpg) Watchmaker Ramos, at Feira da Ladra Photo by José Artur Leitão Bárcia (1871?-1945), Lisbon, Arq. photo CML ![Church of Santa Engrácia before reconstruction seen from the Tagus](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/c1e93f5818558079d3255eeebe31ceeb1e4cdd99d30588f5c2f2ba304ea3b37a.jpg) Church of Santa Engrácia before reconstruction seen from the Tagus ![Project for the completion of the Santa Engrácia Works, Main Elevation, Luís Amoroso Lopes, 1956, MOP](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/e503f1616ad2aaa30e4ee1771bcdbb731db628607c47b36ccdd7accf275134e0.jpg) Project for the completion of the Santa Engrácia Works, Main Elevation, Luís Amoroso Lopes, 1956, MOP ![Model of the project for the completion of the Church of Santa Engrácia](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/1cf58f864381f192848529a77f13908c2f1a8265cc51f655e8832b9c15307928.jpg) Model of the project for the completion of the Church of Santa Engrácia ![Completion of the Church of Santa Engrácia project - August 1966 - AFCML](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/9bf3ecb6d11a072703a674bf9a6932ce54bf05bfc43c711b64c0d56d2f116624.jpg) Completion of the Church of Santa Engrácia project - August 1966 - AFCML ![Completion works - January 1966 - AFCML](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/f183fcfe875fa09afbee93425facb5660f42368f44508568f502576ad6552938.jpg) Completion works - January 1966 - AFCML ![Completion of the monument - the 60s of the 20th century. XX](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/9aabe55a83e8c88085edbe94d6ade039155930e25a817bf5082dcdba999c9a85.jpg) Completion of the monument - the 60s of the 20th century. XX ![Completion work on the Church of Santa Engrácia/National Pantheon](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/1c9fee54709c71e6899769124f8b3ae655586a1a0f62b2154c89c2f6c955bada.jpg) Completion work on the Church of Santa Engrácia/National Pantheon ![Inauguration of the National Pantheon - arrival of the President of the Council Doctor Oliveira Salazar](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/694cb5aa0f0173999d0dc3004e0dee91483999d2b08e19c8e4bdc05f07647efd.jpg) Inauguration of the National Pantheon - arrival of the President of the Council Doctor Oliveira Salazar ![Campo de Santa Clara with Church of Santa Engracia. Photo by Armando Serôdio, 1971, Lisbon, Arq. photo CML](https://storage.googleapis.com/papyrus_images/f8d59dc9fb3d1aca717b89b3a612ca64acda03d3c6b84d40dece0239174c078e.jpg) Campo de Santa Clara with Church of Santa Engracia. Photo by Armando Serôdio, 1971, Lisbon, Arq. photo CML **Full list of Geochaching below:** [https://mirror.xyz/madeinpt.eth/I5tjF3sn6ugnUw3nBnKOpOUr2DEh\_g6cTN-0hivKCgc](https://mirror.xyz/madeinpt.eth/I5tjF3sn6ugnUw3nBnKOpOUr2DEh_g6cTN-0hivKCgc) \*Released\*✅ \*Reviewed\*✅ **Approved**✅ _Curator Body_ `0x5FE9800731bF29C08B23539E9BdC0F9453666572 0x9A6F0Df3BE30246b199AC4b5106e2ac2FCD070f2 0x68af894920213658F54aCB51694aF9AD0D2446fC 0x38E76BCd1D7ff8675Ec4E30434c70123953Cf8C1 0xa554be9835947B10cAB101cf06De85A5E1531050` --- *Originally published on [EVM ](https://paragraph.com/@evm-2/pante-o-nacional-en)*