Igreja da Graça

On the Monte de São Gens, the highest shoulder of the castle hill, the church and convent of Graça stand where Afonso Henriques pitched his camp during the siege of Lisbon in 1147 — and where, tradition says, a vow made in that campaign was later honoured with a church.

From siege camp to convent

The Christian foundation took shape over the following centuries, and the Augustinian convent of Graça became one of the great religious houses of medieval Lisbon. The earthquake of 1755 destroyed most of the complex; the church was rebuilt in the decades after, and its rococo façade — with a bas-relief of Saint Augustine — faces the square at the hilltop.

The terrace over Alfama

At the churchyard edge lies one of the city’s finest belvederes, the Miradouro da Graça, looking over Alfama’s rooftops to the Tagus and the castle ramparts beside it. The former convent buildings house a military unit today, and the hilltop connects by footpaths to the Castelo de São Jorge and, down the hill, the Panteão Nacional.

What to see

• The rococo façade with the Saint Augustine relief
• The viewpoint terrace beside the churchyard
• The view over Alfama and the Tagus
• The remains of the convent complex
• The walk towards the castle walls

Practical information

The church stands in the Graça quarter, at the top of the castle hill of central Lisbon, reached by tram 28 or on foot up the steep lanes. The terrace is best in late afternoon; the visit fits with the castle and the viewpoints of the hill.

Image credit: Igreja e Convento da Graça by Vitor Oliveira — CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.