Church of Santa Engrácia

The Igreja de Santa Engrácia, [ i'gɾeʒɐ dɨ ' sɐtɐ ẽ'gɾasiɐ ] to German Church of the Holy Engrácia, is a large Baroque 17th century church in the Freguesia São Vicente in the Portuguese capital Lisbon. The church, which was completed only in the 20th century, now serves as a " National Pantheon " ( Panteão Nacional, [ pɐti'ɐũ nɐsiu'naɫ ] ) and therefore was never used as a house of worship.

History

The current building of the Igreja de Santa Engrácia replaced several time already, the same place existing churches who were also after the martyr of Braga from the 12th century, the holy Engrácia named. The first church founded Princess Mary, daughter of the third marriage of the Portuguese King Manuel I, at about 1568th The first construction of the current church building began in 1681 after the previous had partially collapsed. The management of the construction took João Antunes, royal architect and at the time one of the most famous Baroque architect of Portugal.

The construction work for the new church dragged on from 1682 to 1712 until Antunes died. The then King João V had no interest in the new church in Alfama, he invested the control means rather in the gigantic Convent of Mafra. The church remained unfinished until the 20th century. Thus, the term became common Obras de Santa Engrácia to German works of Santa Engrácia, as a synonym for long unfinished works in general usage a. Ultimately, the Portuguese policy, the church decided to finish during the Estado Novo. Therefore, the Church, especially the dome was completed by 1966 and consecrated it.

Architecture

João Antunes had submitted a time off to Portugal in architectural design for the Igreja de Santa Engrácia. The church with the oversized, central dome has a symmetrical floor plan in the shape of a Greek cross. There are prism -like towers, whose tips were never completed, so that today there is a viewing platform on the four towers around the central dome at each corner of the church. The facade of the church was designed by the Italian Baroque architect Francesco Borromini. The main façade of the church to the west has a large portico with three arches, each arch adorned with a statue above.

The church's interior is dominated by the arch and the nave of the transept. Both the floor and the walls of the church decorated with different colored marble structures.

The organ from the 18th century, however, comes from the Lisbon Cathedral. The instrument was built by the organ builder Joaquim António Peres Fontane and last restored in 1966. It has 29 stops on two manuals and pedal.

Panteão Nacional

1966, during the dictatorship of Salazar, the church was after she had completed, converted into a National Pantheon on the French model. Therefore, some individuals were subsequently exhumed to be buried in the Igreja de Santa Engrácia. Buried here are the presidents Manuel José de Arriaga, Teófilo Braga, Sidónio Pais and Óscar Carmona, the writer João de Deus, Almeida Garrett, Guerra Junqueiro and Aquilino Ribeiro and the fado singer Amália Rodrigues. From 1953 to 2003 also the Romanian king Charles II was buried before his remains to his home ( Curtea de Arges ) were transferred.

In addition, some cenotaphs for " heroes of Portuguese history " as Luís de Camões, Pedro Álvares Cabral, Afonso de Albuquerque, Nuno Álvares Pereira, Vasco da Gama and Henry the navigator located there.

Since August 2003, the Mosteiro de Santa Cruz in Coimbra has the status of " Panteão Nacional ", since there the first two kings of Portugal, Afonso Henriques and Sancho I, are buried. Therefore, there are two buildings in Portugal since the equally bear the designation " Panteão Nacional ".