Bus: 2, 40, 714, 746
Trolley: 15, 18
Praça do Comércio, still commonly referred to by its former name of
Terreiro do Paço, is a square in downtown Lisbon located next to the
Tagus River, in the area that was the site of the palace of the kings of
Portugal for about two centuries and which today it is partially
occupied by some government departments. It is one of the largest
squares in Europe, measuring around 36,000 m² (180m x 200m). The square
is bordered by 79 arches.
It is considered a historic symbol of
political power and manifestation of capital in Portugal. This symbology
is generally associated with state centralism.
In 1511, King D.
Manuel I transferred his residence from Castelo de São Jorge to this
location by the river. The Paço da Ribeira, as well as its library of
70,000 volumes, were destroyed by the earthquake of 1755. In the
reconstruction, coordinated by Eugénio dos Santos, the square became a
fundamental element of the plan of the Marquês de Pombal.
The
buildings surrounding the square were, for decades, used by different
ministries and other public institutions. Today its use is divided
between government departments, cultural and promotional activities,
hotels, restaurants and cafes.
It is in one of the buildings on
the square that the famous Martinho da Arcada café is located, the
oldest in Lisbon, and one of Fernando Pessoa's favourites.
After
the Revolution of 1910 the buildings were painted pink. However, they
have recently returned to their original color, yellow. The south side,
with its two square towers, faces the Tagus.
It was for a long
time the noble entrance to Lisbon and, on the marble steps of Cais das
Colunas, coming from the river, heads of state and other prominent
figures disembarked and were received.
In the center of the
square, you can see the equestrian statue of D. José, erected in 1775 by
Joaquim Machado de Castro, the main Portuguese sculptor of the 18th
century.
On the north side of the square is the Rua Augusta
Triumphal Arch, the entrance to Baixa.
The area served as a car
park until the 1990s, but today this vast space is used for cultural
events and shows.
On December 1, 1640, the old square saw the end of the
Iberian Union with the arrest of the Duchess of Mantua and the death of
Secretary of State Miguel de Vasconcelos, who was thrown from a palace
window into the Terreiro.
In the earthquake of 1755, where today
the buildings that make up Terreiro do Paço are located, there was the
Royal Palace, in whose library 70,000 volumes and hundreds of works of
art were kept, including paintings by Titian, Rubens and Correggio.
Everything was destroyed. The precious Royal Archives with documents
relating to ocean exploration, among which, for example, numerous
letters from the discovery of Brazil and other ancient documents were
also lost.
On February 1, 1908, King D. Carlos and his son,
Prince Real D. Luís Filipe, were murdered as they passed through the
square.
During the Revolution of 1910, the square witnessed the
landing of the Navy at Cais das Colunas to occupy strategic locations in
the city. On October 5, 1910, in Praça do Município next to the
terreiro, the Republic was proclaimed.
On February 18, 1957,
Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom disembarked at Cais das
Colunas, on her visit to Portugal.
During the Estado Novo regime,
some of the speeches by the President of the Council, Oliveira Salazar,
were delivered at the windows of ministries, namely on 27 August 1963,
in a grandiose demonstration of support for Portuguese overseas policy.
On April 25, 1974, the square witnessed one of the episodes of the
revolution that overthrew the government of Marcello Caetano and the
Estado Novo.
On May 11, 2010, Pope Benedict XVI celebrated the
Eucharist in the square for about 280,000 people.
In 2016, the
square once again hosted the celebrations of the Day of Portugal, Camões
and the Communities that had not been held here since the end of the
Estado Novo.