Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição Velha

Main portal of the Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição Velha. The sculptured tympanum has the figure of Our Lady of Mercy with her mantle covering several personalities of early 16th-century Portugal.

The Igreja of Nossa Senhora da Conceição Velha (Portuguese pronunciation: [iˈɡɾeʒɐ dɨ ˈnɔsɐ sɨˈɲoɾɐ dɐ kõsejˈsɐ̃w̃ ˈvɛʎɐ]; Old Church of Our Lady of the Conception) is a church in the centre of Lisbon, in Portugal. It is notable as one of the last remnants of the Manueline style in the city.

1598 view of the church

The church is located in the Baixa district in Lisbon, near the Praça do Comércio (Commerce Square). The present church is the result of a reconstruction carried out after the 1755 Lisbon Earthquake, when most buildings of the city were destroyed in the quake and the tsunami that followed. The old Church of Our Lady of the Mercy (Misericórdia) was ruined, as well as the Church of Conceição. The Church of the Mercy was rebuilt reutilising rescued elements of the old building, mainly decorative elements of the façade. Once finished, the Conceição Church occupied the rebuilt Mercy Church. (The Brotherhood of Mercy (or Charity) was transferred to the (formerly Jesuit) St. Roque Church.)

The reused elements of the façade of the Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição Velha date from the early 16th century (before 1530) and belong to the Manueline style, mixing late Gothic and Renaissance decorative motifs. The beautiful portal has a tympanon with an image of Our Lady of the Mercy; her mantle, held by two angels, covers King Manuel I, Queen Eleanor, Leonor of Viseu (sister of King Manuel and founder of the Order of Mercy), Pope Alexander VI, the Bishop of Lisbon and other religious personalities. The portal and the windows of the façade are decorated with a very varied ensemble of Renaissance motifs. The interior of the church was rebuilt in the 18th century and is decorated with tiles and stucco work.

The façade of this church, together with Jerónimos Monastery and Belém Tower, are among the best Manueline structures left in Lisbon after the earthquake.

See also

• Manueline
• Category: Manueline architecture
• Category: Manueline architects

References

• Portuguese Institute for Architectural Heritage [1]
• General Bureau for National Buildings and Monuments (Portugal) [2]

Coordinates: 38°42′32″N 9°08′03″W / 38.7089°N 9.1342°W / 38.7089; -9.1342