This was my second visit to this church. The first time was some years ago and since then it became my favourite one (for now). No cathedrals and other fancy places kept in perfect condition.
It's this one.
The burned one.
You enter from a busy street and immediately you are in a completely different world. The amazing silence, the half-light, the smell of old stones and wood is what I like about places like this.
Igreja de São Domingos
A quick history:
The church was dedicated in 1241 and was, at one time, the largest church in Lisbon.
The church was damaged by the 1531 Lisbon earthquake and almost completely destroyed in the 1755 earthquake. Rebuilding began quickly but wasn't completed until 1807. In 1959 the church was devastated once more when a fire broke out in the building. The fire [...] completely gutted the church, destroying many important paintings and statues. In 1994 the church reopened. The restoration left many signs of the fire in place.
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And those signs you can see on the photos. The old stones are dark and discolored. Parts are still missing and corners are crumbled.
It could have been all restored I guess, but I am glad it's been kept this way. The contrasts are amazing. The gold decorations and lightly lit statues all surrounded by the smoked leftovers of its old glory.
The new and the old.
The rough surface of old stones and the new, smooth walls.
The light and the dark.
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Judging by the rows of chairs and fresh candles it is used for masses or other occasions.
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The gaps were filled with new statues and paintings, to probably get the previous feel.
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The funny thing is that this church is right in the center. There are coffee shops, souvenir stands, restaurants around it. Thousands of tourist pass it every day and there were crowds on that day too and yet for some reason I saw just a couple of people inside.
Maybe if they started to charge for entrance (like to some other churches) people would get more interested? :p
But the entrance is free and the doors are open.
View towards the exit:
And then you are out on the street again with colours, light, cars, laughter and music.
Back to the 21st century.
Part of the entrance:
Of course I was so distracted that I forgot to take a photo of the front, so I borrowed one :). This is how it looks like when you approach it. A white façade like many around stuck between very common buildings traditionally covered in tiles. Nothing special I would say.
Until you enter.
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In case some of you decide to visit Lisbon - it is right here:
Link to Google
Shot with Nikon D5500 + Nikkor 18-55mm lens
All photos and text are my own, unless stated otherwise.
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