Ruins of the nave of the church of the Carmo Convent.

The Carmo Convent (Portuguese: Convento da Ordem do Carmo) is a monument located in the city of Lisbon, in Portugal. The mediaeval convent was ruined in the 1755 Lisbon Earthquake, and the ruins of its Gothic church (the Carmo Church or Igreja do Carmo) are the main trace of the great earthquake still visible in the city. Links to full descriptions of the elements of a Gothic floorplan are also found at the entry Cathedral diagram. ... Location  - Region  - Subregion  - District or A.R.   Lisbon Grande Lisboa Lisbon Mayor  - Party Carmona Rodrigues PSD Area 84. ... This 1755 copper engraving shows the ruins of Lisbon in flames and a tsunami overwhelming the ships in the harbor. ... See also Gothic art. ...

The Carmo Convent is in the Bairro Alto neighbourhood, on a hill overlooking the Rossio square and facing the Lisbon Castle hill. It is located in front of a quiet square (Carmo Square), very close to the Santa Justa Lift. View of the Rossio Square from the Santa Justa Lift. ... Elevador de Santa Justa. ...

Nowadays the ruined Carmo Church is used as an archaeological museum (the Museu Arqueológico do Carmo or Carmo Archaeological Museum).

History

The Carmo Convent was founded as a convent for the Carmelite Order in 1389 by the Portuguese knight Nuno Álvares Pereira. Álvares Pereira was Constable of Portugal, meaning that he was the supreme military commander after the King. At the service of King John I, Álvares Pereira commanded the Portuguese army in the decisive Battle of Aljubarrota (1385), in which the Portuguese guaranteed their independence by defeating the Castilian army. Origin and early history Carmelites (in Latin Ordo fratrum Beatæ Virginis Mariæ de monte Carmelo) is the name of a Roman Catholic order founded in the 12th century by a certain Berthold (d. ... NunÁlvares Pereira 1360-1431 Blessed Nuno Álvares Pereira (1360-1431), also spelled NunÁlvares Pereira, was a Portuguese General of great success with an decisive role in the 1383-1385 Crisis that assured Portugals independence of Castile. ... Constable of Portugal (Portuguese: ) or Constable of the Kingdom (Portuguese: ) was a title created by king Ferdinand I of Portugal in 1382, to substitute the title Alferes do Reino. The constable was the second person in power in the kingdom, after the King of Portugal. ... João I (pron. ... Battle of Aljubarrota Conflict 1383–1385 Crisis Date August 14, 1385 Place Near Aljubarrota, central Portugal Result Decisive Portuguese victory The Battle of Aljubarrota took place on August 14, 1385, between the Portuguese forces commanded by D. João I of Portugal and his general Nuno Alvares Pereira, and the Castilian... A former kingdom of Spain, Castile comprises the two regions of Old Castile in north-western Spain, and New Castile in the centre of the country. ...

The Carmo Convent was initially inhabited by Carmelites from Moura (southern Portugal), which entered the convent in 1392. In 1404, the pious Álvares Pereira donated his wealth to the convent and, in 1423, he also became a brother of the convent. Coat of Arms Moura is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 456 km² and a total population of 10,038 inhabitants. ...

On November 1, 1755, the great earthquake destroyed most of the convent and its church. The Convent library and its 5000 books were all lost. The convent was remodelled and eventually became a military quarter. The church was never fully rebuilt and, after a period as wood storage house, it was donated in 1864 to the Association of Portuguese Archaeologists, which turned the ruined building into a museum. This 1755 copper engraving shows the ruins of Lisbon in flames and a tsunami overwhelming the ships in the harbor. ...

In the 20th century, during the Carnation Revolution, the Carmo Headquarters was the last stronghold of the Presidente of the Estado Novo, Marcelo Caetano, and the military loyal to him. The old Carmo Convent building is now used by the Municipal Guard (Guarda Republicana). The Carnation Revolution (Portuguese, Revolução dos Cravos) was an almost bloodless, left-leaning, military-led revolution started on April 25, 1974, in Lisbon, Portugal, that effectively changed the Portuguese regime from an authoritarian dictatorship to a liberal democracy after a two-year process of a Left-wing semi-military... History of Portugal series Prehistoric Portugal Pre-Roman Portugal Roman Lusitania and Gallaecia Visigoths and Suevi Moorish rule and Reconquista First County of Portugal Kingdom of Galicia and Portugal Second County of Portugal Establishment of the Monarchy Consolidation of the Monarchy 1383–1385 Crisis Discoveries Portuguese Empire 1580 Crisis Iberian... Marcelo Caetano Marcelo José das Neves Alves Caetano also spelled Marcello Caetano (pron. ...

Architecture

The Carmo Convent and its Church were built between 1389 and 1423 in the plain Gothic style typical for the mendicant religious orders. There are also influences from the Batalha Monastery, which had been founded by King John I and was being built at that same time. Compared to the other Gothic churches of the city, the Carmo Church was said to be the most imposing in its architecture and decoration. See also Gothic art. ... The Mendicant (or Begging) Orders are religious orders which depend directly on the charity of the people for their livelihood. ... Batalha Monastery is one of the most important Gothic sites in Portugal. ...

The church has a Latin cross floorplan. The main façade has a portal with several archivolts and capitals decorated with vegetal and anthropomorphic motifs. The rose window over the portal is partially destroyed. The south side of the church is reinforced by five flying butresses, added in 1399 after the south wall collapsed during the construction work. The old convent, located to the right of the façade, has been rebuilt in neo-Gothic style in the early 20th century. Floor plan (floorplan, floor-plan) in its original meaning is an architecture term, a diagram of a room, a building, or a level (floor) of a building as if seen from the above (i. ... An archivolt is a group of mouldings (or other elements) surrounding an arched opening, corresponding to the architrave in the case of a rectangular opening. ... A capital of the Composite order In Western architecture, the capital (from the Latin caput, head) forms the crowning member of the column, which projects on each side as it rises, in order to support the abacus and unite the square form of the latter with the circular shaft. ... The rose window in Bristol Cathedral, Bristol, England, at the western end of the nave. ... Victoria Tower at the Palace of Westminster, London: Gothic details provided by A.W.N. Pugin Gothic Revival was an architectural movement with its origins in mid-18th century England. ...

The church interior has a nave with three aisles and an apse with a main chapel and four side chapels. The stone roof over the nave collapsed after the earthquake and was never rebuilt, and only the pointed arches between the pillars have survived. Links to full descriptions of the elements of a Gothic floorplan are also found at the entry Cathedral diagram. ... In a modern church an aisle is a row down the middle of the church with a set of pews on each side. ... This article is about an architectural feature; for the astronomical term see apsis. ...

Museum

The nave and apse of the Carmo Church are the setting for a small archaeological musem, with pieces from all periods of Portuguese history. The nave has a series of tombs, fountains, windows and other architectural relics from different places and styles.

The old apse chapels are also used as exhibition rooms. One of them houses notable pre-historical objects excavated from a fortification near Azambuja (3500 - 1500 BC). District or region Lisbon Mayor   - Party Joaquim Ramos PS Area 262. ...

The group of Gothic tombs include that of Fernando Sanches (early 14th century), decorated with scenes of boar hunting, as well as the magnificent tomb of King Ferdinand I (reign 1367-1383), transferred to the museum from the Franciscan Convent of Santarém. Other notable exhibits include a statue of a 12th century king (perhaps Afonso Henriques) and objects from the Roman and Visigoth periods. Binomial name Sus scrofa Linnaeus, 1758 Young piglets feeding The Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) is the wild ancestor of the domestic pig. ... Fernando I (pron. ... There are a number of places called Santarém: Santarém, Brazil Santarém, Portugal Santarém is also a Portuguese cheese. ... Alfonso I Henriques of Portugal (Guimarães, 1109, traditionally July 25, – 1185), also known as the Conqueror, was the first king of Portugal, declaring his independence from Leon_Castile, a deed often identifying the Condado Portucalense as the first nation_based state of Europe. ... The Roman Empire was a phase of the ancient Roman civilization characterized by an autocratic form of government. ... Migrations The Visigoths were one of two main branches of the Goths, an East Germanic tribe (the Ostrogoths being the other). ...

References

• National Institute of Architectonic Heritage (in Portuguese).
• General Bureau for National Buildings and Monuments (in Portuguese).

External links

• Site of the Association of Portuguese Archaelogists with information on the Museum (in Portuguese).