History
Before the city spread across these hills, the land was agricultural, with olive trees, fruit trees and cereals. Lisbon’s maritime and commercial growth brought development: Vila Nova de Andrade emerged in the early 16th century, and in 1513 acquired the parallel and cross streets that still form Bairro Alto’s recognisable grid. By the middle of the century, building had extended uphill. The Jesuits settled at São Roque in 1553, and Igreja de São Roque opened in 1573. Bairro Alto was relatively spared by the 1755 earthquake, retaining much of its 16th-century urban structure. In 1768, after the Jesuits’ expulsion, the church and former Casa Professa were handed to Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa, founded in 1498, which gives the present civil parish its name. In the 19th century, theatres, cafés, newspaper offices and workshops added new layers to its streets, while the funiculars answered the gradients. Today, residents, traditional trade, institutions, culture, press, historic transport and nightlife coexist in a territory that cannot be reduced to one neighbourhood.