Basílica Da Estrela (Lisboa, Portugal)

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I . History

II . Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus: description

III . The Sacred Heart of Jesus

I . HISTORY

On the 24^th October 1760 D. Maria (1734-1816), the heiress princess, vowed to have a church built in honour of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, as well as a convent for retired nuns abiding to the Rule of Saint Teresa, if she ever gave birth to a male child who could succeed her in the throne.

After prince D. José was born, in August 1761, D. Maria intended to fulfil her vow but was unable to do so until 1778, when she finally came to the throne.

Two people became especially important in the construction of this monumental ensemble: D. Pedro III (1717-1786), the prince consort, who donated the land plot of Casal da Estrela, then owned by Casa do Infantado; and Brother Inácio de São Caetano, the Queen’s confessor and member of the Order of the Discalced Carmelites, later the archbishop of Tessaloniki.

Mateus Vicente de Oliveira (1706-1785) was the architect to whom the project was assigned of designing the church, the convent and the Queen’s palace. February 1778 saw the laying of the foundation stone for the Monastery of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and the 24^th October 1779, the anniversary of the Queen’s vow, was the date set for the solemn blessing of the foundation stone for the Basilica. This architect would be later replaced by Reinaldo Manuel dos Santos (1731-1791), who made some alterations to the initial design, particularly on the main façade and the majestic dome.

The area of the convent had been completed by 1781, the year that the first nuns from Carmelo de Carnide moved in.

The construction of the Palace, intended to be used as the Queen’s chambers, coincided with the last building stage of the monumental ensemble.

Many renowned Portuguese artists worked in the Basilica, whether painters and sculptors (such as the case of Joaquim Machado de Castro), or masters in the art of carving, masons, foundrymen and the famous organ-builder António Xavier Machado e Cerveira (1756-1828). The paintings on the main church altars were commissioned from Pompeo Batoni (1708-1787), at the time a prestigious Italian master.

The blessing of the bells took place on the 17^th August 1788, after the bell towers had been completed. The Basilica was consecrated in a solemn ceremony on the 15^th November, the following year.

In 1792, Reinaldo Manuel dos Santos was replaced by Manuel Caetano de Sousa (1738-1802), who oversaw the last construction period.

In 1834, as a decree was approved for the extinction of all religious orders, the convent building become the State’s property. The former convent and the area enclosed by the Conventual Wall were then occupied by several public departments and part of the Military Hospital. The Military Health Service School (ESSM), together with a number of healthcare services, took over the quarters that had once been the Palace. The parish seat was transferred from Lapa to the Basilica in 1886.

In 1910, the Basilica, including the tombs of D. Maria I and Brother Inácio de São Caetano, was classified as a National Monument.

II . CHURCH OF THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS: DESCRIPTION

The magnificent ensemble of Estrela, located in the western part of the city, is comprised of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the former Convent of the Discalced Carmelites and the Palace. It is considered to be the most important religious monument built in Lisbon after the 1755 earthquake.

On the church façade, highlight goes to The Adoration of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, a low relief carved in marble by Joaquim Machado de Castro (1731-1822), placed over the main door; the allegorical figures of Faith, Devotion, Gratitude and Liberality, standing on columns, authored by Machado de Castro’s collaborators Alexandre Gomes, João José Elveni, José Patrício and José Joaquim Leitão. The topping pediment, another low relief, bears the symbol of the Holy Trinity with the Alpha and Omega monogram.

Several monumental sculptures representing saints of carmelite devotion stand alongside the central aisle: Saint Elijah and Saint John of the Cross in the upper section; and Saint Teresa of Avila and Saint Mary Magdalene of Pazzi in the lower section. All works by Machado de Castro’s collaborators.

On the right hand side of the church, one finds the building of the former convent of the discalced carmelites facing Avenida Infante Santo. On the left side façade, highlight goes to the portal of the former Palace leading to the Royal Tribune and the former Queen’s chambers.

The magnificent bell towers, with baroque decoration, house twelve bells, all of them cast between 1786 and 1788, by the foundry master José Domingos da Costa.

The imposing and copiously decorated top is made up of a dome, a skylight and a circular balcony, and is one of the most beautiful viewpoints in Lisbon.

In the spacious galilee accessing the church, pride of place is taken by the monumental sculptures of Our Lady and Saint Joseph – patrons of the Carmelite Order -, by Joaquim Machado de Castro and his collaborators.

The Baptismal Font is decorated with acanthuses and shell shapes and holds in the centre a sculpture of Saint John the Baptist. It is one of the main elements in the Baptistry, where it was placed in 1947; another important feature is the side wall painting The Baptism of Christ by Luciano Santos (1911-2006).

The coat of arms of the Carmelite Order closes the arch at the church entrance. The remarkable rosewood vestibule  is topped by an impressive royal coat of arms and is thought to be the work of José de Abreu do Ó (1740-1828).

The interior of the Basilica is remarkable, not only for the amplitude and luminosity afforded by the central dome, but also for the marble lining in shades of rose, yellow, black and blue-grey, which add beauty and sumptuousness to the full array.

In the nave, the six side chapels with semi-circular marble balustrades and golden bronze chandeliers are noteworthy.

The altarpieces display a range of paintings and sculptures, by Pompeo Batoni and Machado de Castro, respectively, all related with the Sacred Heart of Jesus and associated with the foundation of the Carmelite Order convent: on the right hand side, Saint Anthony and the Vision of Saint Francis, The Dream of Saint Joseph and The Triumph of the Heart of Mary, with archangels Raphael, Michael and Gabriel. The latter is particularly interesting as it was painted by the Queen’s sisters – infanta D. Maria Ana and princess Maria Francisca Benedita – and presents the 18^th century image of Our Lady of Lapa. On the left hand side, The Vision of Saint John the Evangelist, Dedication of the Basilica to Saint Teresa by D. Maria I and The Incredulity of Saint Thomas – with the image of Our Lady of Fatima and the Shepherd Children.

Over the high cross stands the magnificent and impressive dome, lined in polychrome marble, with circular gallery and skylight.

In the Chancel, the imposing altarpiece is comprised of two marble columns on either side of the canvas representing The Sacred Heart of Jesus exposed for the world to worship, the Roman Pope and the allegorical figures of Charity and the Four Corners of the World. The set is topped by a magnificent pediment with Christ Crucified and two adoring Angels.

The side walls display paintings of the Doctors of the Latin Church, authored by Pedro Alexandrino de Carvalho: Saint Augustine and Saint Gregory The Great, on the left; Saint Ambrose and Saint Jerome, on the right. The Choir Tribune and the Royal Tribune stand on either side of the chancel.

A lavish suspended chandelier completes and dignifies the whole set.

In the chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, highlight goes to the altarpiece with Pompeo Batoni’s The Last Supper, framed in stonework with monumental marble columns on either side. Two allegorical sculptures - Faith and Hope - from Machado de Castro’s workshop stand on the attic. On the side walls hang two canvases with eucaristhic themes – The Supper at Emmaus on the left, and Saint Paul the Hermit on the right, both attributed to Pedro Alexandrino (1729-1810). The lower section presents images of Saint Peter and Saint Paul.

The vestry houses the remarkable tomb of Brother Inácio de São Caetano, the Queen’s confessor, designed by Machado de Castro. Equally worth of note are the luxurious chests made by the carver José Abreu do Ó (c. 1783), the washbasin by Mateus Vicente de Oliveira, and Pedro Alexandrino’s Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, painted on the ceiling.

In the transept, on the right, stand the allegorical sculptures of Charity and Strength, also authored by Machado de Castro, placed symmetrically to the attic in the chapel of the Blessed Sacrament. Highlight goes to: two paintings of Marian inspiration - The Virgin with the Child, Saint Elizabeth and Saint John the Baptist, and Saint Anne teaching the Virgin to read, attributed to Pedro Alexandrino; and the statues of the carmelite saints Saint John of the Cross and Saint Teresa of Avila.

An outstanding piece of work, the organ was built by António Xavier Machado e Cerveira in 1791, and bears the inscription Laudate eum in chordis et organo – (Praise Him with strings and pipes, Ps 150).

The transept also accommodates the monumental sculpture of The Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Basilica’s invocation. Highlights here are the rosewood double confessionals, allegedly built by António Ângelo (1791); the uncommon Tenebrae Hearse, another rosewood and richly ornamented piece, by José de Abreu do Ó; and the church marble foundation stone with Latin inscription.

DONA MARIA I QUEEN OF PORTUGAL, MOST FAITHFUL, PROMISED THAT, IF SHE EVER BORE A CHILD, SHE WOULD HAVE THIS CHURCH BUILT TO THE HONOUR OF THE MOST SACRED HEART OF JESUS, AND A MONASTERY FOR NUNS OF THE BLESSED MARY OF MOUNT CARMEL. THE KING D. PEDRO III PROVIDED THE LAND THAT WAS HIS PROPERTY WHERE SUCH BUILDINGS WERE ERECTED. MAY THE BENEFITS OF THIS TEMPLE DEDICATED TO THE HONOUR OF GOD AND THE MOST SACRED HEART OF JESUS BE FOREVER ACCEPTED. THIS FOUNDATION STONE, OFFERED BY KING D. PEDRO III HIMSELF, WAS BLESSED AND LAID BY THE MOST ILUSTRIOUS D. FERNANDO I DA SILVA, PRIEST OF THE HOLY ROMAN CHURCH, CARDINAL PATRIARCH OF LISBON, UNDER THE PONTIFICATE OF POPE PIUS VI, ON THE 24^TH OCTOBER 1779. … EARTHQUAKE…

The Tomb of D. Maria I is located in the transept area, immediately before the room where the Nativity Scene is on display.

In the Nativity Scene room, formerly the vestry, the painting on the ceiling, supposedly by Cirilo Volkmar Machado (1748-1823), represents the Delivery of the Basilica to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. A washbasin by Mateus Vicente, similar to the one in the vestry, completes the set. In 1951, the magnificent Nativity Scene by Machado de Castro was put on display in this very room.

In the High Choir (over the Basilica’s entrance gate) stands the now disused Grand Organ built by António Xavier Machado e Cerveira, decorated with carving attributed to António Ângelo.

In the former entrance of the convent, lined with polychrome tile ashlars of ornamental and figurative composition (1780-1790), the convent wheel has been preserved to our days. The former locutory used by the nuns – Saint Teresa Room –, shows a remarkable series of tile panels dedicated to the founder of the Carmelite Order.

The profusely decorated fountain, work of the architect Mateus Vicente de Oliveira, takes pride of place at the centre of the cloister.

The Chapel of Our Lord of the Stations of the Cross – the former lower choir -, next to the transept of the church, displays copious decoration with the following highlights: altarpiece with Christ Crucified, flanked by images with symbols of the Passion – Veronica and Angel with Passion instruments; polychrome tile ashlars, with eucharistic motives: Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, Saint Elijah; on the ceiling, the central panel with Pentecost, attributed to Cirilo Wolkmar Machado; and, on the arch leading to the church, Our Lady of Carmel embracing Carmelite nuns in her mantle.

The Chapel of Our Lady of Carmel – the former antechoir – shows again an iconographic array related to Saint Teresa of Jesus. The altarpiece holds an image of Our Lady of Carmel in the centre, and Saint Paul and Saint John of the Cross on the sides. On the side walls hang several canvases representing different stages of Saint Teresa’s life. The Transverberation of Saint Teresa, yet another piece of work attributed to Cirilo Volkmar Machado, is depicted on the vault.

III . THE SACRED HEART OF JESUS

Reference to the church being devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus dates back to as early as the 12^th and the 13^th centuries. A nun of the Visitation Order, Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690), was the one who later spread this devotion around the world, after a series of singular revelations. On the 25^th January 1765, the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was approved by Pope Clement XIII (1693-1769), and in 1794, Pius VI (1717-1799) sanctioned it by issuing the Auctorem fidei bull. Pius IX extended the Feast to the Universal Church in 1856.

The Sacred Heart of Jesus is the symbol of God’s love for mankind. In general iconography, the heart is represented in flames surrounded by a crown of thorns and topped by a cross. The Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus takes place on the Friday within the octave of Corpus Christi.

D. Maria I was the greatest promoter of this devotion in the Portuguese territory. In 1777, at her request, the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was approved in Portugal. On the same date the works began for the construction of the Basilica da Estrela in Lisbon. This was the first church in the world dedicated to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

References

• PEREIRA, Esteves e RODRIGUES, Guilherme, Portugal – diccionario historico, chorographico, heraldico, biographico, bibliographico, numismatico e artistico, Lisboa, J. Romano Torres, 1904-15, vol. III, pp. 226-230.
• ALMEIDA, Fortunato de, História da Igreja em Portugal, Nova Edição preparada e dirigida por Damião Peres. Portucalense Editora. Livraria Civilização. Porto, Lisboa. [1967-1971].
• CARVALHO, Ayres de, A BASÍLICA DA ESTRELA no segundo centenário da sua fundação, Lisboa, Secretaria de Estado da Cultura – Direcção-Geral do Património Cultural, 1979.
• SALDANHA, Sandra Costa, A Basílica da Estrela: Real Fábrica do Santíssimo Coração de Jesus, Lisboa, Livros Horizonte, 2007.

See Also