Category: Portugal

Postcard from Lisboa, Portugal: Rising from Rubble

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While there are ancient castles, churches and convents, some dating from as early as the 11th century, much of Lisboa is “new,” built after 1755.

On the morning of All Saints’ Day in 1755, Lisboa was struck by a major earthquake, one estimated to have been of an 8.7 magnitude. With towering church walls crumbling around them, many fled Mass for the safety of the riverfront, only to be swallowed by tsunami surges sweeping away broad swathes of the quay. Raging flames then began to leap from rooftop to rooftop throughout the city.

By the time the cascading disasters subsided, more than a quarter of Lisboa’s 250,000 inhabitants had perished. Most of the exquisite buildings dating from Portugal’s golden age lay in ruin.

The lower, center part of the city was razed. Sprawling networks of rabbit-warren streets were replaced by huge public squares connected by broad avenues. Elegant new buildings with earthquake-resistant walls began to line the boulevards.

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Today’s Lisboa is vibrant and beautiful.

Postcard from Sintra, Portugal: Mounting the Moorish Castle

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Stair-stepped trails cushioned with leaves and pine needles wind their way up from Sintra through the heavily forested Park of Pena – up and up, higher and higher – to the Moorish Castle.

Not one, but two walls, encircle and fortify the post established by invading Moors during the 10th century to provide views to protect their claim. And what views their towers provided, out across the surrounding hills and valleys clear to the sea, five or six miles away.

While the post was secure, Moorish forces in Lisboa nearby were not. Soldiers of the Second Crusade joined forces with those of King Alonso I of Portugal in the summer of 1147 and surrounded the city. After a four-month siege imprisoning them, the starving Moors finally surrendered, a surrender including the fortress.

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Assuming duty on a blustery day must have been dangerous. Truly scared the winds snatching at my long, full skirt and sun-shading sombrero would send us soaring like a kite over the ramparts and crashing into the valley below. The fear led to failure to conquer the absolutely highest outlook.

But even this geographical dominance was subject to one-upmanship. A subsequent post.

 

Postcard from Lisboa, Portugal: Belem reflects the blessings bestowed by pepper

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Arms and the heroes, from Lisbon’s shore, sailed through seas never dared before, with awesome courage, forging their way to the glorious kingdoms of the rising day.

The Lusiads, Luis de Camoes, 1572

Vasco da Gama sailed out of the Lisboa harbor in 1497 and would not return for more than two years. By then, he had lost half his fleet of four ships and approximately two-thirds of his men.

Yet his return was triumphant. His ships were laden with precious cargo, including ivory and prized spices, primarily pepper, from India. The cargo was valued at more than 60 times the cost of his expedition, and da Gama’s journey around the Cape of Good Hope proved for the first time the riches of India could be reached by sea. His trip poised Portugal to establish colonies all the way up and down both coasts of Africa and in Goa, India, which would remain under its domination for the next 450 years.

The golden age of Portugal was launched, creating a kingdom envied by royalty throughout Europe. In gratitude to da Gama and God and with the immense profits from pepper, King Manuel I (1469-1521) began construction of the massive Church and Monastery of Jeronimos at Belem. The ornate architectural style featuring elaborate stone carvings reflecting the country’s seafaring dominance and global influences became known as Manueline.

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The style also is evident in the nearby Belem Tower, built between 1515 and 1520 to protect the harbor from invaders. Vasco da Gama sailed past it on his last voyage to Goa to serve as viceroy in 1524, but he died of malaria shortly after his arrival. His remains later made his final trip past the Belem Tower on the way to interment in a place of honor in the Church of San Jeronimos.