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Se Cathedral, Lisbon

The solid and imposing Sé de Lisboa cathedral, built on the site of an important Mosque, was the first religious building constructed by the 12th century Christian Crusaders after the liberation of Portugal from the North African Moors. Since the early establishment of the Se cathedral as the home of the Catholic Church in Portugal the cathedral bore witness to the baptism, marriage and passing of Portugal’s nobility and has been ever since entwined in Portugal’s history.

The Se was constructed in neo-gothic style to impose the dominance of the crusaders newly imported religion while equally fortified to act as a place of refuge in the case of a re-invasion. Today the Se cathedral maintains the mighty and grand allure while still being one of the most important churches in this deeply religious country. No visit to Lisbon is complete without discovering and embracing this magnificent ancient monument.

Se Cathedral Tourist Information

There are two main tourist sections to the cathedral; the religious nave, transept and sanctuary and the disused cloisters to the rear of the complex that have been partially excavated to reveal the underlying foundations of the mosque that the Se cathedral was constructed upon. The religious sections of the cathedral are open to the public every day from 7:00 until the evening mass, held in Portuguese, at 19:00. There is no admission fee to the main cathedral but all visitors must be suitable and respectively dressed.

 

The cloisters are open every day from 10:00 to 17:00 and there is an admission fee of €2.50/€1.00 (adult/child). Typical visits to Lisbon’s cathedral last between 20-30 minutes with an additional 20 minutes for the cloisters. The Sé is situated on the main road from Baixa to Alfama and the nearest metro station is Rossio but the most picturesque mode of public transport is the quaint yellow tram (route 28) which passes directly in front of the cathedral.

Further Information about Lisbon's Cathedral

The word Se derives its name from the initials of Sedes Episcopalis which when translated means bishop’s seat. Interestingly the first bishop of Lisbon to have his seat here had no roots or ties to the region but was actually an English crusader named Gilbert. The description of Crusaders greatly enhances the description of the army of thieves and drunks who in 1147 "liberated" Lisbon; their first act after driving the Moors out was to pillage and loot the city.

 

Contained within Lisbon's cathedral is the font, reputedly used, to baptise Saint Anthony the patron saint Portugal in 1195. Saint Anthony was born less than 200m from the Se, down the hill at the site of the Igreja de Santo António. The second stand out feature of the Se is the beautiful Romanesque styled rose-window. This rose window was painstakingly reconstructed during the 20th century from fragments of the original window that was destroyed by the powerful earthquake of 1755. The earthquake also caused the roof to collapse on hundreds of worshippers who were packed into the cathedral to celebrate the feast of All Saints.

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