Place · Portugal
The history of Misericordia
Assembled from 2 dug tiles · 26 sourced records · 1147–1988 · last reviewed 11 August 2026
Misericórdia is a parish at the heart of old Lisbon, holding the square where the Camões Monument was raised in 1867 over disputed remains, and the Chiado quarter rebuilt first after the 1755 earthquake and again after the 1988 fire.
These are the individual spots Strata has dug in Misericordia — not a guide to the town, but a record of what happened on particular ground.
Digs in Misericordia
A nation buried the wrong bones and called it certainYou are standing where Lisbon's 1755 earthquake swallowed a poet's grave, and where every rebuilding since has quietly bet on a guess. Palacete Loures
1147–1988 Fire took the Chiado twice, and the poets stayed
Standing at Largo do Chiado, you are inside a quarter shattered by earthquake in 1755 and gutted by fire in 1988, rebuilt each time around the same handful of names. Camões Monument
1147–1988
Misericordia in layers
Rua Garrett, Chiado
The nearby parish of Our Lady of the Martyrs traces its origin to a chapel founded just after the 1147 reconquest of Lisbon from the Moors. Wikipedia — Basilica of Our Lady of the Martyrs, Lisbon
1147
The parish of Our Lady of the Martyrs, whose basilica stands close by on Rua Garrett, was created in 1147 immediately after Lisbon was retaken from Moorish rule. Wikipedia — Basilica of Our Lady of the Martyrs, Lisbon
16th century
The Palace of the Counts of Azambuja, a 16th-century manor house, stands in the Misericórdia parish a short walk from the square. Wikipedia — Palace of the Counts of Azambuja
Chiado, Lisbon
Livraria Bertrand, founded in 1732 and Guinness-certified as the oldest bookshop still trading, drew authors like Pessoa and Eça de Queirós to its original Chiado premises. Wikipedia — Livraria Bertrand
founded 1732
Livraria Bertrand, founded in 1732 in Chiado, holds the Guinness World Record for oldest operating bookshop and was frequented by Pessoa and Eça de Queirós. Wikipedia — Livraria Bertrand
Largo do Carmo, Lisbon
The Carmo Convent, a few hundred metres off, was wrecked by the 1755 Lisbon earthquake and its roofless church remains one of the city's clearest earthquake scars. Wikipedia — Carmo Convent
São Roque, Lisbon
The Igreja de São Roque, one of the first Jesuit churches anywhere, was handed to Lisbon's Holy House of Mercy after the 1755 earthquake destroyed their own headquarters. Wikipedia — Igreja de São Roque
1755
The Gothic Carmo Convent was ruined in the 1755 Lisbon earthquake and its broken arches remain the most visible scar of that disaster in the old city. Wikipedia — Carmo Convent
after 1755
Igreja de São Roque, the earliest Jesuit church in the Portuguese world, was given to the Lisbon Holy House of Mercy after their own headquarters was destroyed in the 1755 earthquake. Wikipedia — Igreja de São Roque
demolished c.1775
The 16th-century Hospital Real de Todos os Santos occupied the site of today's Praça da Figueira until it was ruined by the 1755 earthquake and demolished around 1775. Wikipedia — Praça da Figueira
Rua da Misericórdia area, Chiado
The Tavares restaurant, operating continuously since 1784 and once frequented by novelist Eça de Queiroz, sits about 85 metres from this spot. Wikipedia — Tavares (restaurant)
1784–present
Operating continuously since 1784, Tavares was frequented by writer Eça de Queiroz, who wrote it into his novel Os Maias. Wikipedia — Tavares (restaurant)
Chiado, Lisbon
The Teatro Nacional de São Carlos opened in 1793 to replace the Tejo Opera House, lost in the catastrophic 1755 Lisbon earthquake. Wikipedia — Teatro Nacional de São Carlos
1793
Teatro Nacional de São Carlos opened in 1793 by order of Queen Maria I, replacing the Tejo Opera House destroyed in the great earthquake. Wikipedia — Teatro Nacional de São Carlos
Luís de Camões Square, Chiado
A bronze statue of the poet Luís de Camões, ringed by eight smaller figures of Portuguese chroniclers and navigators, rises just 20 metres away in the square that bears his name. Wikipedia — Camões Monument
Rua de Santa Justa, Lisbon
The Santa Justa Lift, a vertical elevator connecting Baixa to Carmo Square, still operates as a landmark a few hundred metres northeast. Wikipedia — Santa Justa Lift
120 Rua Garrett
Opened in 1905, Café A Brasileira became a favourite haunt of Fernando Pessoa and other writers by the 1920s. Wikipedia — Café A Brasileira
opened 1905
Opened in 1905 as a Brazilian coffee shop, this café became the meeting place of Lisbon's writers and artists in the 1920s, including Fernando Pessoa. Wikipedia — Café A Brasileira
Chiado Square
A short walk away stands the statue of António Ribeiro 'Chiado', a 16th-century satirical poet after whom the whole neighbourhood is named, unveiled in 1925. Wikipedia — Statue of António Ribeiro
1925
A bronze statue of the 16th-century poet António Ribeiro Chiado, unveiled 18 December 1925, stands on this square just steps from where you are. Wikipedia — Statue of António Ribeiro
Misericórdia, Lisbon
Roughly 240 metres away stood the offices of PIDE, the feared secret police of the Salazar dictatorship, responsible for the repression of political opposition without judicial oversight. Wikipedia — PIDE
1933–1974
The PIDE, the feared secret police of the Estado Novo dictatorship, operated from a nearby headquarters, later reorganised as the DGS in 1969, running surveillance and repression without judicial oversight. Wikipedia — PIDE
Chiado, Lisbon
The historic Chiado district around this square burned severely in 1988 and was rebuilt under a rehabilitation plan led by architect Álvaro Siza Vieira. Wikipedia — Chiado
Rua Garrett, Chiado
A statue of the poet Fernando Pessoa was placed outside Café A Brasileira, about 95 metres off, unveiled in 1988. Wikipedia — Statue of Fernando Pessoa
Questions about Misericordia
What is Misericórdia known for historically?
It is known for the Chiado quarter, repeatedly rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake that shattered Lisbon and after a fire in 1988, and for the Camões Monument, raised in 1867 over remains only tentatively identified as the poet Luís de Camões.
What happened at Misericórdia in 1755?
The 1755 earthquake shattered the Chiado quarter and destroyed the Convent of Saint Anne, where Luís de Camões had first been buried after his death in 1580, leaving his grave lost.
What happened at Largo do Chiado in 1988?
A fire broke out at the Grandella department store on 25 August 1988, destroying eighteen buildings and killing two people, in a quarter already shattered once by the 1755 earthquake.
Who is commemorated by the Camões Monument?
The monument, unveiled in 1867, commemorates the poet Luís de Camões, built over remains pulled from earthquake rubble in 1855 and only tentatively identified as his.
Is the Camões Monument certainly the poet's grave?
No. The remains beneath the monument were recovered from rubble after the 1755 earthquake and identified only tentatively as those of Camões, whose original burial place at the Convent of Saint Anne no longer exists.