Chapels on both sides, Church of Saint Roch in Lisbon

Church of Saint Roch was the first Jesuit church to be designed in the “church-auditorium” style, specifically for preaching. It has several chapels, mainly in the Baroque style of the early 17th century, the most notable being that of São João Baptista, from the 18th century, an initial project by Nicola Salvi and Luigi Vanvitelli , later changed with the intervention of the main architect João Frederico Ludovice, as it can be verified by the correspondence between Ludovice and Vanvitelli, published by Sousa Viterbo and R. Vicente de Almeida in 1900.

Ludovice sent a series of drawings to Italy with the imposed changes, since Vanvitelli had refused to change the initial project. It was commissioned in Italy by D. João V in1742 . It arrived in Lisbon in 1747 and was only established in 1749 . It is a masterpiece of Italian art, unique in the world, consisting of mosaic paintings executed by Mattia Moretti , on Masucci cards, representing the Baptism of Christ , Pentecost and the Annunciation. Suspended Dome of coffered of Jasper bronze moldurados, wonder one crowing of excellent execution of Italian jewelery, framed by a striking set of marble statues. It is assumed that at the time it was the most expensive chapel in Europe.

The facade, simple and austere, follows the canons then imposed by the reformed church. In contrast, the interior is enriched with gilded wood carvings , paintings and tiles and constituted an important museum of decorative Mannerist and Baroque arts . It has tiles from the 16th and 17th centuries, signed by Francisco de Matos.

Chapel of Our Lady of the Doctrine (the first chapel on the right of the nave)
The Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Doctrina was established in 1612 by the so-called “Congregation of Mechanical Officers or Senhora da Doctrina” and started on March 1, 1634.

Its gilded decoration, representative of the baroque “National style”, dates from the last half of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th century. It combines elements imported from the Italian Baroque, namely the spiraled Solomonic columns, ornamented with elements of national creation, such as bunches of grapes, vines and Phoenician birds, as well as the altarpiece in the form of a Romanesque portal. Completing the gilt carving, the lower walls feature embedded marble cladding, decorative technique of Italian influence.

It is an artistic expression that reaches a decorative exuberance in Portugal, in the first half of the 18th century.

In the center of the altarpiece, there is an image of Santa Ana and the Virgin, in upholstered and polychrome wood, from the end of the 17th century. On each side, images of São Joaquim and Santa Ana, from the same period.

On the side walls, there are niches protecting sets of shrines in the form of busts.

The balustrade is in ebony wood, with marble acrotteries, bearing the emblem of the Brotherhood of Doctrine, according to the chapel’s theme.

Chapel of St. Francis Xavier (the second chapel on the right)
As a marble headstone, this chapel was founded in 1634 by António Gomes de Elvas, a nobleman from the Alentejo family, to whom D. Filipe I of Portugal awarded a coat of arms. Luiz Roiz de Elvas, brother of the founder, was responsible for completing the chapel.

Its decoration dates from the first half of the 17th century. In the center of the altar stands the 17th century sculpture of the great Jesuit missionary São Francisco Xavier. The side paintings, attributed to the Portuguese painter José de Avelar Rebelo, represent, on the left, “D. João III in audience with S. Francisco Xavier”, when he left for India “and, on the right,” The Pope Paul III in the act of sending to Portugal the first Fathers of the Society of Jesus “.

Chapel of St. Roch (the third chapel on the right)
This chapel is located in the place where the head of the primitive Ermida de S. Roque would be located, prior to the construction of the current church. After its foundation, it started to be administered by the Brotherhood or Brotherhood of São Roque.

The central image of the altarpiece is that of the church holder, in upholstered and polychrome wood, from the 17th century. On each side, two sculptures from the same period, respectively São Tiago and São Sebastião. On the altar and interspersed with the stool candlesticks, six sculptures in silver wood represent the Apostles S. Pedro and S. Paulo, and the four Evangelist saints.

The side painting, located on the left, represents the “Apparition of the angel to São Roque”, executed in the 2nd half of the 16th century, by Gaspar Dias. It is one of the best works of this renowned painter of Portuguese mannerism.

The tile panels on the side walls are representative of the mannerist tiles from the late 16th century; its decoration includes scenes related to the life of S. Roque, and the signature of the author, Francisco de Matos, dated 1584 can be seen on the lower left side.

On the balustrade doors, in rosewood, if the coat of arms of the Confraria de São Roque is represented.

Chapel of the Most Holy Sacrament (the fourth chapel on the right)
The Chapel of Santíssimo was founded in 1636, by Luiza Frois, benefactor of the Jesuit college of Santo Antão and Casa Professa de S. Roque. It was originally dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption. Its decoration dates from the second half of the century. 17th, early century. XVIII.

In the center of the altarpiece is an image representing Nossa Senhora da Assunção, of great baroque expression.

The gilt carving is from the period that precedes the “national baroque”, called “protobarroco”, characterized by a notorious ornamental restraint.

Part of the side walls are covered with inlaid marble, of Italian influence, a stone work that was completed in 1719.

On the side walls are exhibited two paintings by Bento Coelho da Silveira, from the mid-17th century, related to the Marian theme of the chapel, respectively: “The death of the Virgin (on the right) and the” Assumption and Coronation of the Virgin “(the

iron porch, with an exquisite revivalist look, was commissioned by Misericórdia de Lisboa in the 19th century.The silver lamp, at the entrance to the chapel, is a piece of Porto jewelery commissioned by Misericórdia de Lisboa in 1877.

Chapel of the Holy Family (the first chapel on the left)
This chapel was built and decorated by the Congregation of Nobles, as shown on a headstone on the right side wall. It has a mannerist, sober and balanced decoration, similar to that of the chancel and, consequently, from the same period.

The central painting represents “Jesus among Doctors”, by José de Avelar Rebelo. Laterally, there are two other 17th century paintings, attributed to the painter André Reinoso, respectively the “Adoration of the Kings” (on the right side) and the “Adoration of the Shepherds” (on the left side).

On the altar, there are three 17th century sculptures, in upholstered and polychrome wood, representing the Sagrada Família.

Chapel of St. Anthony (the second chapel on the left)
It was instituted by Pedro Machado de Brito, who left a legacy to the Society of Jesus, with instructions for his descendants to be buried here, having as his executor the Confraria da Misericórdia de Lisboa. Misericórdia agreed with the religious of the Society of Jesus that the chapel should be dedicated to Saint Anthony and that the work be ordered to be carried out by the priests of the Society, as outlined in the other chapels.

Having been partially destroyed by the 1755 Earthquake, it was later redecorated with elements from the final Baroque. The ceiling features neoclassical frescoes from the 19th century. The Mannerist columns remain from the original altarpiece.

In the central niche is the image of Santo António, in upholstered and polychrome wood, from the 17th century.

Laterally, there are two 18th century paintings, oil on canvas, by the painter Vieira Lusitano, representing, respectively: “The Saint preaching to fish” and “The temptation of Santo António”.

Chapel of Our Lady of Piety (the third on the left)
This chapel was founded in 1613, by Martim Gonçalves da Câmara, buried in it. The altarpiece decoration took place between 1707 and 1716, at the initiative of the Congregation of Nossa Senhora da Piedade. As its central theme, it presents “Calvary”, surrounded by a crown of angels on a painted stucco background, representing the walls of Jerusalem.

In the center, the tabernacle stands out, with a painting representing “Nossa Senhora da Soledade”; on it rests a beautiful “Pietá”, in upholstered and polychrome wood, from the 17th century. Inside the altar-window is an image of “Nossa Senhora da Boa-Morte”. On the soffit of the chapel’s arch there are two sculptures, representing São Longuinho and Santa Verónica, from the beginning of the 18th century.

This type of composition initiates in Portugal a certain theatrical taste, in the decorative field of churches, marking the transition from “national baroque” to a style based on the concept of “stage-audience”, originating from Bernini’s baroque.

Chapel of St. John the Baptist (the fourth on the left)
This chapel was commissioned by D. João V to the Roman architects Luigi Vanvitelli and Nicola Salvi, in 1740, and built between 1742 and 1747. On December 15, 1744, it was sacred by Pope Benedict XIV, in Rome, having been later armed for the high pontiff to celebrate Mass on May 6, 1747. In September of that same year, it was dismantled and transported to Lisbon, in three ships, and later seated in the Church of São Roque, in the space of the old chapel of Espírito Santo.

The Capela de S. João Batista is a unique work of art in its style, unparalleled even in Italy itself, as it encompasses a set of cult pieces of exceptional artistic quality, namely the jewelery and vestment collections, which are partially found in exhibition at the S. Roque Museum.

In its covering we find several types of marbles: lapis lazuli, agate, ancient green, alabaster, Carrara marble, amethyst, purple porphyry, white-black from France, ancient breach, diaspore, jalde and others.

In addition to marble, mosaic and gilded bronze were used. The central frame and the two sides, as well as the floor, are in mosaic, artistic work of great perfection.

The central frame represents the “Baptism of Christ”, and the lateral ones, the “Pentecost” (on the left) and the “Annunciation” (on the right). The model paintings of the three paintings are by Agostino Massucci, and their execution, in mosaic, was the work of Mattia Moretti. Enrico Enuo was the author of the pavement mosaic.

The outer arch of the chapel is surmounted by the Portuguese Royal Weapons. The gates and side doors, in gilded bronze, bear the monogram of D. João V. in the center.

The installation of the chapel was the responsibility of Francesco Feliziani and Paolo Riccoli, with the final assembly of the mosaics “Baptism of Christ” and “Pentecost”, in August 1752, after the death of D. João V, which occurred on July 31, 1750.

Tomb of Francis Tregian
Beneath the west pulpit, between the Chapel of St. Anthony and the Chapel of Our Lady of Piety, is the upright tomb of Francis Tregian (1548–1608), a leading English Catholic recusant. (Tregian was initially interred beneath the floor of the nave in front of the Chapel of the Holy Sacrament. An inscribed stone still marks that spot.) The inscription on the present tomb, translated, reads:

Here stands the body of Master Francis Tregian, a very eminent English gentleman who — after the confiscation of his wealth and after having suffered much during the 28 years he spent in prison for defending the Catholic faith in England during the persecutions under Queen Elizabeth — died in this city of Lisbon with great fame for saintliness on December 25th, 1608. On April 25th, 1625, after being buried for 17 years in this church of São Roque which belongs to the Society of Jesus, his body was found perfect and incorrupt and he was reburied here by the English Catholics resident in this city, on April 25th, 1626.

São Roque Church and Museum
The Igreja de São Roque (Church of Saint Roch) is a Roman Catholic church in Lisbon, Portugal. It was the earliest Jesuit church in the Portuguese world, and one of the first Jesuit churches anywhere. The edifice served as the Society’s home church in Portugal for over 200 years, before the Jesuits were expelled from that country. After the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, the church and its ancillary residence were given to the Lisbon Holy House of Mercy to replace their church and headquarters which had been destroyed. It remains a part of the Holy House of Mercy today, one of its many heritage buildings.

The Igreja de São Roque was one of the few buildings in Lisbon to survive the earthquake relatively unscathed. When built in the 16th century it was the first Jesuit church designed in the “auditorium-church” style specifically for preaching. It contains a number of chapels, most in the Baroque style of the early 17th century. The most notable chapel is the 18th-century Chapel of St. John the Baptist (Capela de São João Baptista), a project by Nicola Salvi and Luigi Vanvitelli constructed in Rome of many precious stones and disassembled, shipped, and reconstructed in São Roque; at the time it was reportedly the most expensive chapel in Europe.

The Museu de São Roque first opened to the public in 1905, located in the former Professed House of the Society of Jesus, a religious house adjoining the Church of São Roque. This church had been founded in the second half of the 16th century, as the first church of the Society of Jesus in Portugal. It kept the original name of the former shrine of São Roque, which existed in the same location. Its interior show a great and rich variety of artworks, namely azulejos, (coloured tiles), paintings, sculptures, inlaid marbles, gilt woodworks, reliquaries, etc, all of which belong nowadays to Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa [The Holy House of Mercy works]. In this church stands out the famous side Chapel of St. John the Baptist, commissioned by King John V of Portugal to Italian artists, and built in Rome between 1744 and 1747, which represents in Portugal a unique example of the late-roman baroque art.

The museum exhibits one of the most important collections of religious art in Portugal, originating from the Church of São Roque as well as from the Professed House of the Society of Jesus. This artistic heritage was donated to the Misericórdia de Lisboa by D. José I, in 1768, after the expulsion of the Society of Jesus from the national territory. Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa is a secular institution of social and philanthropic work with over 500 years helping the city population through a wide range of social and health services.

Highly prized collections of artworks as well as liturgical vestments make up the art treasure of Museu de São Roque, worth visiting next to the church.