From São Domingos to the Aljube: The Rebuilt Baixa on Foot

On 1 November 1755 an earthquake, then fire and a tidal wave, flattened the lower city. What you walk through today is the answer: straight streets, a grand arch and a square open to the river, all laid out afterwards.

This short walk goes from the old church at Rossio down to the water and then a little way into lower Alfama, where older stones and a more recent chapter of Portuguese history wait.

Igreja de São Domingos

Igreja de São Domingos was almost wrecked in 1755 and rebuilt by 1807. Then, in August 1959, a fire gutted it. The church was not restored to a clean finish: when it reopened in 1994 the scorched columns and blackened walls were left as they were.

Step inside and look up and along the nave at the marks of both disasters.

Igreja de São DomingosPlace of worshipGo in and walk the nave slowly: the fire damage of 1959 was deliberately kept, so you see both the earthquake and the blaze in one room. Leave by the front and head south down the Baixa towards the river and the arch.Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0

Rua Augusta Arch

The street that gives the Rua Augusta Arch its name leads you straight to it. It was built to mark the city's reconstruction and finished in the 1870s, and it stands over the entrance to the square on the river side of the Baixa. Statues of historical figures crowd its top.

Rua Augusta ArchLandmarkAdmire the statues from the street, then pay for the ticket if you want the rooftop viewpoint over the grid you just walked. Pass through the arch to the riverfront and turn east along the old waterfront streets.Photo: Berthold Werner, CC BY-SA 4.0

Igreja da Conceição Velha

The church of Conceição Velha is a rebuilt one, but its doorway is not. The Manueline portal survived 1755 and was made the main entrance of the new church. In the carving, Our Lady of Mercy shelters King Manuel I under her cloak.

Igreja da Conceição VelhaPlace of worshipStand in front of the portal and look at the carving in the arch above the door. Check that the church is open before you plan to go inside. Continue east along Rua da Alfândega and Rua dos Bacalhoeiros.Photo: Vitor Oliveira from Torres Vedras, PORTUGAL, CC BY-SA 2.0

Casa dos Bicos

You will know the Casa dos Bicos from across the street: its front is covered in more than a thousand pointed, diamond-shaped stones. Built in the early 16th century, it is now home to the José Saramago Foundation, and the writer's ashes lie beneath an olive tree at the front.

Casa dos BicosLandmarkLook at the stonework from the pavement and visit the olive tree. Inside, the ground floor is an archaeological site with Roman fish-salting remains and old city wall; upstairs is the Saramago exhibition. Climb the short street uphill, to the north, for the last stop.Photo: Alvesgaspar, CC BY-SA 3.0

Museu do Aljube

The Museu do Aljube occupies a former prison. From 1928 to 1965 it held political prisoners of the dictatorship, and since 2015 it has been a museum of resistance and freedom, covering the regime from 1926 to the revolution of 25 April 1974.

Museu do Aljube - Resistência e LiberdadeMuseumSpend time inside, a dark but important counterpart to the rebuilding story. The exhibition is heavy going, so allow yourself time; the museum is closed on Mondays.Photo: Arquivo Fotográfico Municipal, Public domain

Two rebuildings meet along this walk: the city that rose after the earthquake, and the country that rebuilt itself after a long dictatorship. Both are visible in the same few streets.