Misericórdia

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.

Behind Igreja de São Roque’s relatively plain façade lies one of the parish’s most elaborate undertakings. Commissioned by King João V in 1742, Capela de São João Baptista was designed and made entirely in Rome. Its altar was consecrated by Pope Benedict XIV in 1747; the chapel was then dismantled, shipped to Lisbon in three vessels and reassembled, with installation completed in 1752. It was an exceptionally luxurious assembly job, apparently without an instruction manual — and one King João V did not live to see fully installed.

Igreja de São Roque · Museu de São Roque · Capela de São João Baptista · Largo Trindade Coelho · Bairro Alto · Rua da Rosa · Rua de O Século · Bica · Ascensor da Bica · Rua da Bica de Duarte Belo · Rua de São Paulo · Largo do Calhariz · Jardim do Alto de Santa Catarina · Miradouro do Adamastor · Cais do Sodré · Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara · Ascensor da Glória · Jardim do Príncipe Real

Climb from Rua de São Paulo to Largo do Calhariz and notice how Bica connects the riverfront to the hillside. · Follow the line of Ascensor da Bica’s rails from Rua da Bica de Duarte Belo without stepping onto them. · Cross Bairro Alto’s parallel and transverse streets to recognise its 16th-century grid. · Pause at Largo Trindade Coelho to take in Igreja de São Roque’s restrained façade before entering, if open. · Pass through Jardim do Alto de Santa Catarina and look at Adamastor before heading towards higher ground. · Compare the atmosphere of Cais do Sodré with Jardim do Príncipe Real, noting the changes in gradient and urban scale. · Pass Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara and observe the relationship between hill, Baixa and river.