Plaza in Lisbon, Portugal
Plaza in Estremadura, Portugal
The
Praca do Comercio
(
Portuguese pronunciation:
[?p?as?
ðu
ku?m??sju]
;
transl.
Commerce Plaza
) is a large, harbour-facing
plaza
in
Portugal
's capital,
Lisbon
, and is one of the largest in Portugal, with an area of 175 by 175 m (574 by 574 ft), that is, 30,600 m
2
(329,000 ft
2
).
Facing the
Tagus
(
Tejo
) to the South, the plaza is still commonly known in
Portuguese
as
Terreiro do Paco
(
[t????j?u
ðu
?pasu]
(
transl.
Palace Yard
),
[1]
as it hosted the
Paco da Ribeira
(
transl.
Royal Palace of Ribeira
) until the latter was destroyed by the great
1755 Lisbon earthquake
(the
subway station
located there is still named after the old name of the plaza).
After the earthquake, the plaza was completely remodeled as part of the rebuilding of the
Pombaline Downtown (
Baixa
)
, ordered by
Sebastiao Jose de Carvalho e Melo, 1st Marquis of Pombal
, who was (chief)
Minister of Portugal
from 1750 to 1777, during the reign of the
Portuguese King
Jose I
.
[2]
From the 19th century onwards, Praca do Comercio became the seat of some of the most important Portuguese state departments, including the Ministries of
Finances
,
Internal Administration
,
Agriculture
and
Maritime Affairs
; before the
Carnation Revolution
(1974) and the creation of a unified
Ministry of Defence
, it was also the location of the
War
and
Navy Ministries
, as well as the old
Ministry of Colonies
(up to 1967), and thus also became a methonym for the
Portuguese central government
. Also housed there is the
Supreme Court
.
In June 1910, just a few months before the
establishment of the Portuguese Republic
, Praca do Comercio was classified as a
National Monument of Portugal
.
[2]
[3]
History
[
edit
]
Statue of
King Jose I
, by
Machado de Castro
(1775). The king on his horse is symbolically crushing snakes on his path.
Terreiro do Paco in 1575
Terreiro do Paco in 1662, by
Dirk Stoop
Praca do Comercio, 2019
Urban development of the banks of the
Tagus
river (the
Ribeira
) was given firm impulse in the early 16th century, when
King Manuel I
built a new royal residence – the
Ribeira Palace
– by the river, outside the city walls. The area was further developed with the building of a port, shipbuilding facilities (the
Ribeira das Naus
), the
Casa da India
and other administrative buildings that regulated the commerce between
Portugal
and other parts of Europe and its colonies in Africa, Asia and the Americas.
On 1 November 1755, during the reign of
King Jose I
, a
great earthquake
followed by a
tsunami
and fire destroyed most of Lisbon, including the Ribeira Palace and other buildings by the river. Jose I's Prime Minister, the
Marquis of Pombal
, coordinated a massive rebuilding effort led by Portuguese architect
Eugenio dos Santos
. He designed a large, rectangular square in the shape of a "U", open towards the Tagus.
[2]
The buildings have galleries on their ground floors, and the arms of the "U" end in two large towers, reminiscent of the monumental tower of the destroyed Ribeira Palace, still vivid in the architectural memory of the city. His plan was realised almost completely, although decorative details were changed and the east tower of the square and the Augusta Street Arch were only finished in the 19th century.
[3]
This triumphal arch was designed by the Portuguese architect Santos de Carvalho and was completed in 1873. The top section includes statues representing important Portuguese figures such as
Vasco da Gama
and the Marquis of Pombal.
[4]
The square was named
Praca do Comercio
, the Square of Commerce, to indicate its new function in the economy of Lisbon. The symmetrical buildings of the square were filled with government bureaux regulating customs and port activities. The centrepiece of the ensemble was the equestrian statue of King Jose I, inaugurated in 1775 in the centre of the square. This bronze statue, the first monumental statue dedicated to a king in Lisbon, was designed by
Joaquim Machado de Castro
, Portugal's foremost sculptor of the time.
[3]
Lisbon Arco Triunfal da Rua Augusta panoramic view from Praca do Comercio
Areas covered by arches at both sides of the square include vendors, restaurants and offices
Opening towards Augusta Street, which links the square with the other traditional Lisbon square, the
Rossio
, the original project by Eugenio dos Santos planned a triumphal arch,
[2]
only realised in 1875. This arch, usually called the
Arco da Rua Augusta
, was designed by Verissimo da Costa.
[3]
It has a clock and statues of Glory, Ingenuity and Valor (by the French sculptor Calmels) and those of
Viriatus
,
Nuno Alvares Pereira
,
Vasco da Gama
and, of course, the Marquis of Pombal.
[3]
On 1 February 1908, the square was the scene of the
assassination
of
Carlos I
, the penultimate King of Portugal. On their way back from the palace of
Vila Vicosa
to the royal palace in Lisbon, the carriage containing Carlos I and his family passed through the Terreiro do Paco. While crossing the square, shots were fired from the crowd by at least two men:
Alfredo Luis da Costa
and
Manuel Buica
. The king died immediately, his heir Luis Filipe was mortally wounded, and Prince Manuel was hit in the arm. The assassins were shot on the spot by police
[5]
and later recognized as members of the Republican Party ? which two years later
overthrew the Portuguese monarchy
.
The wealth of Portugal was channeled through this plaza and port. It serves as not only a transportation hub but also as a hub for commercial businesses, having two main directions of travel, west and south. The northern side tram leads to the district of Belem and the southern port is a ferry that goes across the River Tagus.
The destruction of the palace led to the loss of the greatest archive of Portuguese literature. The library housed over 200,000 books. The reconstruction took around a century to go from plans to finished construction.
View from the Sao Jorge Castle, including the Praca do Comercio
At the southern end of the plaza at the water's edge was a grand marble staircase meant for the arrival of royal dignitaries.
[6]
These steps date to before the 1755 earthquake and would have led straight into the royal palace.
On June 10, the day of Portugal, the plaza is full of military and residents who celebrate the day.
[7]
The plaza is home to the oldest cafe in the city, Martinho da Arcada (established 1782). It also houses the monumental Pousada Hotel.
[8]
Praca do Comercio 2017
The western tower of the square (where once stood the
Navy
and the
Colonies Ministries
), houses the Baixa's location of the
Museum of Lisbon
.
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- Franca, Jose-Augusto (1980).
Lisboa: Arquitectura e Urbanismo
. Biblioteca Breve (in Portuguese). Instituto de Cultura e Lingua Portuguesa (ICALP).
External links
[
edit
]
38°42′27″N
9°8′11″W
/
38.70750°N 9.13639°W
/
38.70750; -9.13639
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