This was my second visit to this church. The first time was some years ago and since then it became my favourite one (for now). No cathedrals and other fancy places kept in perfect condition.
It's this one.
The burned one.
You enter from a busy street and immediately you are in a completely different world. The amazing silence, the half-light, the smell of old stones and wood is what I like about places like this.
Igreja de São Domingos
A quick history:
The church was dedicated in 1241 and was, at one time, the largest church in Lisbon.
The church was damaged by the 1531 Lisbon earthquake and almost completely destroyed in the 1755 earthquake. Rebuilding began quickly but wasn't completed until 1807. In 1959 the church was devastated once more when a fire broke out in the building. The fire [...] completely gutted the church, destroying many important paintings and statues. In 1994 the church reopened. The restoration left many signs of the fire in place.
source
And those signs you can see on the photos. The old stones are dark and discolored. Parts are still missing and corners are crumbled.
It could have been all restored I guess, but I am glad it's been kept this way. The contrasts are amazing. The gold decorations and lightly lit statues all surrounded by the smoked leftovers of its old glory.
The new and the old.
The rough surface of old stones and the new, smooth walls.
The light and the dark.
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Judging by the rows of chairs and fresh candles it is used for masses or other occasions.
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The gaps were filled with new statues and paintings, to probably get the previous feel.
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The funny thing is that this church is right in the center. There are coffee shops, souvenir stands, restaurants around it. Thousands of tourist pass it every day and there were crowds on that day too and yet for some reason I saw just a couple of people inside.
Maybe if they started to charge for entrance (like to some other churches) people would get more interested? :p
But the entrance is free and the doors are open.
View towards the exit:
And then you are out on the street again with colours, light, cars, laughter and music.
Back to the 21st century.
Part of the entrance:
Of course I was so distracted that I forgot to take a photo of the front, so I borrowed one :). This is how it looks like when you approach it. A white façade like many around stuck between very common buildings traditionally covered in tiles. Nothing special I would say.
Until you enter.
source
In case some of you decide to visit Lisbon - it is right here:
Link to Google
Shot with Nikon D5500 + Nikkor 18-55mm lens
All photos and text are my own, unless stated otherwise.
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Entrance looks like private property...
Without Google maps and info, doubt I would dare to step in, looks spooky :D
Amazing ambience, cathedrals are more mystical than churches.
A little spooky, yea :) It is quiet and quite dark even during the day.
I don't mind it, once I sneaked in during the service, was dying to hear organ playing live.
I think it's a way to remember the tragic event and at the same time carry on with life... that's my free interpretation of why just the roof was built and the columns stayed in that burned state. But I am not a guide so I might be wrong :D
Cool pace anyway :)
It probably is. Now everyone can ask why is it like that and go find out.
I am guessing that the roof completely collapsed and there was nothing to save. The columns and few other bits could be the only things still standing.
Cool indeed :)
Yes, the roof completely collapsed, if I remember well from the photos in the description in the church.
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It is very nice post, I feel relax when I saw the first picture, In additional your good story, simply excellent post, the Best regards
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Gorgeous. While I don't mind the scarring from the fires, I don't like the unfinished repairs. Too important of a place of worship to leave it in that state.
I think they left it like that on purpose. They probably could remove the more damaged parts, but it would be like removing part of the history me thinks.
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Beautiful this place and beautiful photos that you have shared here
Thank you :)
Beautiful temple and charming article @ewkaw friend... Excellent, interesting, visually appealing photographs 📷... A fantastic environment to photograph, it looks like a set from a medieval movie 😍, I loved seeing how time has tarnished on some areas and generates additional drama in the photos ... Wow... A delight to watch!... I love #Hive even more when I come across these types of posts!... Thank you!
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Thank you! It was a bit hard to shoot with o little lights. But I guess the darkness i part of the charm :)
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That is a church, that I would definitely visit when I finally go to Lisbon...
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You should (among others that are cool too, but not as cool :p).
Well, I better start piling up info and resources for that trip then :)
All my friends who visited it returned with full bags of positive impressions and memories :)
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I think you're right about the old scars giving the place character. I noticed the dark gray walls in those first couple of pictures and thought they looked cool. But I didn't realize the significance until you mentioned that they were fire-scorched. That made them feel all the more meaningful.
I think there may be a spiritual message hidden in there.
Thank you for sharing!
I think that is exactly th point. Thy could clean it an fill up th gaps. But then nobody would ask.
I like that they kept it this way.
There was a Concert for the King's Day Celebration this Sunday! I couldn't went there, since I was a little bit sick... The architecture and environment of that church is almost perfect for live acts like this. Congratulations on your post, @ewkaw
Oh my! That must have been awesome!
Thank you :)