An old church with precious tiles and a rooftop view.

#VisitHistoricSite When King Afonso Henriques seized Lisbon from the Moors in 1147, he swore to build a church where the Christian Crusaders had died in the war - The monastery of São Vicente de Fora was built. Later in 1582, when Portugal was united with Spain, the king of Spain at that time, Philip II, ordered the entire monastery to be rebuilt. It took about 2 centuries to complete, but was destroyed in a major earthquake in 1755 and has been restored to its present state. It is another tourist attraction worth visiting in Lisbon. [The Church] The church is a place of religious ceremonies that is still in use today. The decoration looks plain and simple. The highlight is the altar in the middle of the room, which is in the Baroque style, created by Joaquim Machado de Castro - a famous Portuguese sculptor during the reign of King John V in the 18th century. To be honest, compared to many churches and monasteries in Portugal, this one is not that outstanding. But the real highlight is the Monastery next door. [The Monastery Museum] Although it is the same building, the entrances of the Church and Monastery are completely separate. When you exit the church door, walk down the stairs to the courtyard in front of the church first. You will see a door on the left that looks like another unrelated building. But that is the entrance to the Monastery. ➡️ Entrance Hall - The first room you enter is decorated in the Baroque style, looking magnificent. The paintings on the ceiling play with three-dimensional shadows, making it look like the ceiling is higher than it actually is. In the center of the room is a golden chest containing the bones of Christians who died during the missionary expedition to Morocco in the 16th century. From this room, there is a door leading to the Cloisters. ➡️ Cloisters – These two large courtyards have a walkway around them decorated with 18th century Azulejo tiles all around, which is very beautiful. ➡️ Sacristy – This is the most magnificent room in the monastery, decorated with marble. The rooms are decorated with detailed tiles and paintings. Take lots of photos. ➡️ Pantheon – This part of the Monastery is used as the burial place for the kings and queens of the Braganza (Bragança) dynasty, from King João IV to the last king of Portugal, King Manuel II. The most eye-catching is the coffin of King Carlos and his heir, Luis Filipe, who were assassinated together in the middle of Praça do Comércio square in 1908. The coffins are placed together with a life-size sculpture of a woman covered in a cloth, standing in mourning in the middle. ➡️ The Gallery of Fables – This room contains many large Azulejo tiles, telling stories from moral stories by French writer Jean de La Fontaine. When combined with the Azulejo tiles decorating the walls of the corridors around the Cloister, this monastery is known as the place where the most Azulejos from the Baroque era are collected. ➡️ Roof Top – Another highlight that you can’t miss Because the view is worth millions. Although it is not the highest point in this area, many people consider the view from here to be the most beautiful in Lisbon. In addition to having a marble balcony and beautiful church towers foreground, it is also a point where you can clearly see The National Pantheon, see the Tagus River nearby, and see Castelo de São Jorge standing tall on the hill to the west. It is very enjoyable to take pictures. 📌 Address: Largo de São Vicente, 1100-472 Lisboa, Portugal