The Estrela Basilica ( ) or the Royal Basilica and Convent of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (), is a

minor basilica Basilicas are Catholic church buildings that have a designation, conferring special privileges, given by the Pope. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectura ...

and ancient carmelite convent in

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

. Ordered built by Queen Maria I of Portugal as the fulfilment of a vow, the Basilica is not only a product of the Queen's particularly fervent devotion to the

Sacred Heart of Jesus The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus () is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus Christ is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind". This devotion to Christ is p ...

, but remains the most important architectural endeavour of her reign. The Estrela Basilica was the first church in the world dedicated to the

History

Shortly after her wedding to her uncle Infante Peter of Braganza in 1760, Maria, Princess of Brazil vowed, before an image of the

in the Convent of Carnide, to build a church and convent under the Rule of Saint Theresa if she was given the grace of bearing children that would assure the succession of the

House of Braganza The Most Serene House of Braganza (), also known as the Brigantine dynasty (''dinastia Brigantina''), is a dynasty of emperors, kings, princes, and dukes of Portuguese people, Portuguese origin which reigned in Europe and the Americas. The hous ...

. Princess Maria was, at the time, the eldest daughter and heiress presumptive of King Joseph I, whom she eventually succeeded after his death in 1777. She gave birth to her first child, Joseph, Prince of Beira, on 20 August 1761 (who died of

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by Variola virus (often called Smallpox virus), which belongs to the genus '' Orthopoxvirus''. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (W ...

in 1788, while construction of the Basilica was underway). Only after acceding to the throne could Queen Maria afford to see to the fulfilment of her vow. Construction began in 1779; the

groundbreaking Groundbreaking, also known as cutting, sod-cutting, turning the first sod, turf-cutting, or a sod-turning ceremony, is a traditional ceremony in many cultures that celebrates the first day of construction for a building or other project. Such cer ...

ceremony took place on 24 October: the Queen's husband, Peter III, laid the first cornerstone and Fr. delivered the speech.

Mateus Vicente de Oliveira Mateus Vicente de Oliveira (1706–1786) was a Portugal, Portuguese architect. He studied under the architects João Frederico Ludovice and Jean Baptiste Robillon during the construction of the Mafra National Palace, royal palace at Mafra – Por ...

, an important court architect, is made in charge of the works: it is under his direction that the construction of the conventual areas was carried out (from February 1778 to May 1781), as well as the beginning of the Basilica. Oliveira died in 1785, and was replaced with Reinaldo Manuel dos Santos, who saw to the conclusion of the works. Reinaldo Manuel made substantial alterations to the exterior design of the church (namely, a different design of the

pediment Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...

, of the

façade A façade or facade (; ) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loanword from the French language, French (), which means "frontage" or "face". In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important asp ...

, of the

bell tower A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell to ...

s, and of the

dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

to which he added a

roof lantern A roof lantern is a Daylighting (architecture), daylighting architectural element. Architectural lanterns are part of a larger roof and provide natural light into the space or room below. In contemporary use it is an architectural skylight stru ...

Architecture

The huge church has a giant

, and is located in a hill in what was at the time the western part of Lisbon and can be viewed from far away. The style is similar to the

Mafra National Palace The Palace of Mafra (), also known as the Palace-Convent of Mafra and the Royal Building of Mafra (), is a monumental Baroque architecture, Baroque and Neoclassical architecture, Neoclassical palace-monastery located in Mafra, Portugal, Mafra, P ...

, in late

baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

and neoclassical. The front has twin bell towers and includes statues of saints and some allegoric figures. A large quantity of grey, pink and yellow

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock consisting of carbonate minerals (most commonly calcite (CaCO3) or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) that have recrystallized under the influence of heat and pressure. It has a crystalline texture, and is ty ...

was used in the floor and walls, in intricate geometric patterns, one of the most beautiful in European churches. Several paintings by

Pompeo Batoni Pompeo Girolamo Batoni (25 January 1708 – 4 February 1787) was an Italian painter who displayed a solid technical knowledge in his portrait work and in his numerous Allegory, allegorical and mythological pictures. The high number of foreign vis ...

also contribute to a balanced design. The tomb of the Queen Maria I is in the right

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...

. A famous

nativity scene In the Christian tradition, a nativity scene (also known as a manger scene, crib, crèche ( or ), or in Italian ''presepio'' or ''presepe'', or Bethlehem) is the special exhibition, particularly during the Christmastide, Christmas season, of ar ...

made by sculptor

Joaquim Machado de Castro Joaquim Machado de Castro (19 June 1731 – 17 November 1822) was one of Portugal's foremost sculpture, sculptors. He wrote extensively on his works and the theory behind them, including a full-length discussion of the statue of Joseph I of Por ...

, with more than 500 figures in

cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...

and

terra cotta Terracotta, also known as terra cotta or terra-cotta (; ; ), is a clay-based Vitrification#Ceramics, non-vitreous ceramicOED, "Terracotta""Terracotta" MFA Boston, "Cameo" database fired at relatively low temperatures. It is therefore a term used ...

is a major attraction to visitors.

References

External links

{{Authority control 18th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in Portugal 1790 establishments in Portugal Basilica churches in Portugal Roman Catholic churches completed in 1790 Roman Catholic churches in Lisbon Votive churches National monuments in Lisbon District Church buildings with domes

History

Architecture

See also

References

External links