Carmo Archaeological Museum

This is a visit to Carmo Archaeological Museum located in the center of Lisbon presenting a thematic variety of history, culture, archaeology from the prehistory to contemporary times.

Location map of Carmo Archaeological Museum

Located in the old Carmo Church, in the addition to the museum’s collection it shows also in open sky, its magnificent pillars and arches in romantic-neogotic style.

Going back in time, it was in the year of 1389 that D. Nuno Álvares Pereira, the great militar stratega of the middle ages ordered the construction of Carmo Church.

In 1756 the reconstruction began after significant damage due the 1755 earthquake. Later, in 1834 it was interrupted due to the abolition of the religious orders in Portugal leaving the Carmo Church nave untouchable. They are now, part of the ruins of Carmo which it offers the museum its own scenic character of an environment of memories.

The former fountain at Carmo Square and at the bottom the entrance to the Carmo Archaelogical Museum General view of the nave of the Carmo Church

The Carmo Archaeological Museum was founded in 1864 by Joaquim Possidónio da Silva. It thus, constitutes the first museum of art and archeology in the country. It arose to safeguard the National Heritage due to its deterioration.

Along the outer space (body of the nave) and inside the old chapels stand out the important funerary monuments, sculptures, tile panels and stone arms.

Alms Box for the Suffrages (19th century) Manueline Tomb (16th century)

Nave general view of the north side Above a set of corbels (architecture)

D. Nuno Álvares Pereira memorial Nave general view of south side

Convent of Carmo well (17th-18th century) Stone of arms of Portugal

Martyr St. João Nepomuceno Manueline window (16th century)

The exhibition at Carmo Archaeological Museum continues inside through a set of rooms of the old chapel.

We then started in one of the rooms where artefacts are exhibited from the Stone Age (Paleolithic) to the Iron Age of the inhabitants of the current Portuguese territory.

Stone Age artefacts with the emphasis on the Neolithic vase Some Bronze and Iron Age artefacts (Pedra do Ouro and Pragança Portugal locations)

In the Center the model of the fortification of Castro de Vila Nova de São Pedro inhabited between 3500 BC to 1500 BC

Further ahead there is an exhibition of the period of the Roman, Visigothic and Islamic rule in Portuguese territory.

Pillar of the Griffon Vultures of the Islamic presence (9th-10th centuries) Statue of the Togado Man Roman Empire (4th century)

Fragments and pieces from the Roman, Visigothic and Islamic period

In the central part of the rooms, the museum presents important pieces of medieval and modern sculptures (13th-18th centuries).

Tomb of D. Fernando I (14th century) Tomb of D. Fernão Sanches (14th century)

Tomb of D. Maria Ana of Austria (18th century) Our Lady of Carmo (16th-18th centuries)

The Museum’s collection also extends to collections from Egypt, South and Central America.

Tomb of Egypt (5th-4th century BC)

Mexicans statues (19th century) Chimus ceramic (Peru) e Azteca (16th century)

Also highlighted in the next room, it is a tile panel with Islamic influences and the Stone of Arms by Queen D. Maria Francisca da Saboia.

Model of Carmo Church (14th century) Tiles (16th century)

Stone Arms by Queen D. Maria Francisca da Saboia (17th-18th centuries)

The Auditorium is the last part of visit, which presents a movie about the history of the museum from the founders of its construction, the damage suffered from the earthquake and its reconstruction to the current archaeological exhibition.

The Auditorium of Carmo Archaeological Museum Visual effects in 3D in the Auditorium

Our selfie from the Carmo Archaeological Museum

To complete our tour we went to lunch at the Cabaças restaurant. The food was extremely delicious!

Grilled Perch

Grilled scabbard Fried chicken

Streaky

After lunch, we walked through the beautiful streets of Lisbon saying god bye with great satisfaction.

View to Trindade Theatre At Bairro Alto

At Camões Square At Chiado Square with the famous Fernando Pessoa (Poet)

With the teddy bear in Armazens do Chiado

This visit was an enriching tour for us, as we learned more about the ruins of Carmo which presents in its Archaeological Museum a huge set of pieces of historical, archaeological and artistic value as well as the pillars and arcs in the open sky in a magic scenery.

We hope that our readers and travel lovers will also one day be able to visit this magnificent monument in the center of Lisbon.

References Carmo Archaeological Museum

Thanks to Manuel Manero for blogging recommendations

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