Olivais

The lands of Olivais formed part of Lisbon’s surrounding territory and were granted to the city by King João I in 1385. The parish of Santa Maria dos Olivais was established in 1397. Its parish church is linked to a local tradition: an image of the Virgin was said to have appeared in the hollow trunk of an olive tree, allegedly kept as a relic for around 300 years. From the 16th century, Olivais Velho took shape around the church and towards the river, in a landscape of farmers, cereals, fruit, wine, olive oil and livestock. Country houses and estates belonging to noble families later appeared, connected by narrow lanes. The 1755 earthquake brought down the parish church, but its cross remained standing and the building was reconstructed. In 1852, Olivais gave its name to a municipality of 22 parishes, then regarded as the country’s largest. Its administrative seat never properly settled here, however, and the territory’s scale and variety helped lead to its abolition in 1886. The railway to Carregado and, later, Lisbon Airport profoundly reshaped the eastern part of the city. The major 20th-century shift came with studies for Olivais Norte and Olivais Sul, begun in 1955. Modern planning moved away from the continuous street frontage and perimeter block, giving weight to sunlight, topography, pedestrian movement and green space. Parque do Vale do Silêncio, envisaged in that plan, retains the idea of a structuring park. Quinta Pedagógica dos Olivais keeps the area’s agricultural memory in view, while housing changes of recent decades have added further layers to the parish.

Studies for the development of Olivais Norte and Olivais Sul began in 1955, when modern planning was challenging the rule of the unbroken street frontage. Rather than enclosing traditional blocks, many buildings were set freely among green areas, with regard for sunlight, terrain and pedestrian movement. In Olivais Sul, the plan was also arranged through residential groups, neighbourhood units and cells with nearby services. The buildings gained a little freedom of placement — provided they respected the land and the plan. The contrast is clear beside the more compact streets of Olivais Velho.

Centro Histórico dos Olivais · Igreja de Santa Maria dos Olivais · Praça da Viscondessa dos Olivais · Calçadinha dos Olivais · Quinta do Contador-Mor · Biblioteca Municipal dos Olivais · Quinta Pedagógica dos Olivais · Olivais Norte · Olivais Sul · Parque do Vale do Silêncio · Mercado dos Olivais Sul · Aeroporto Humberto Delgado

Walk through Olivais Velho and notice the tighter scale of the streets around Igreja de Santa Maria dos Olivais. · Look at the parish church and remember that it was reconstructed after the 1755 earthquake; the olive-tree story belongs to local tradition. · Compare the street frontages of the old core with the looser arrangement of blocks in Olivais Norte and Olivais Sul. · Cross Parque do Vale do Silêncio and see how green space formed part of the planned design for the newer neighbourhoods. · Look for traces of the former estates, including Quinta do Contador-Mor, now associated with Biblioteca Municipal dos Olivais. · Pass by Quinta Pedagógica dos Olivais to connect today’s urban landscape with the parish’s agricultural memory. · In Olivais Sul, notice the shifts between residential groups and local spaces, without assuming every urban solution works in the same way.