We decided on another random trip out and Lynne chose to visit the Basilica de Estrella, Basilica of the star, absolutely nothing to do with missing Galician beer! We went out towards Estrella on the Metro, the last station on the yellow line is Rato (mouse) and this meant we could walk through the Jardins de Estrella, a quite lovely and long established park.
we walked about and failed to visit the oldest graveyard in Lisbon, which is quite nearby, its called the British Cemetery and was opened in 1725 as Portuguese people were buried in Churches at the time. Henry Fielding is buried there as is the last King of Romania, and there is a Church of England within the grounds with services in English. St Georges church.
We did however have a coffee in the cafe by the duckpond after all man cannot live by churches and graveyards alone! Incidentally the cafe has great Wi-Fi and has very reasonable prices, it should also be possible to get a good game of chess draughts or dominos under the trees with the elderly regulars.
A very pleasant spot to relax before some hard exploring!
Just over the road was the object of our journey, the Basilica de Estrella, consecrated in 1789 and built by Queen Maria I, who rests inside. The first church ever to be consecrated to the sacred heart of Jesus. The four statues over the door represent Faith, Adoration, ,Liberty and Gratitude.
I honestly don't know which is which but the Rococo architecture is certainly impressive and it is known as one of the most beautiful churches in Lisbon despite being a little away from the normal tourist trail
I find the dome especially pleasing, and as we had turned up to visit at the same time as a funeral service going on we had an hour or so to wait and admire it from different angles! Eventually we were allowed inside.
Although it is certainly impressive and the materials used in its construction pink and black marble and fine grained limestone, to my way of thinking give it the feel of a mausoleum. In actual fact it is just that. Queen Maria began construction to celebrate the birth of her son Jose ( a religious obligation) which came to nought as Jose died from smallpox two years before the Basilica was completed. His grieving mother inside the Basilica. She outlived her son by many years, Jose died at the age of 27.
Marias sarcophagus has some rather morbid touches.
I suppose to be fair it was par for the course in Victorian times, Maria died in 1816
The other famous reason for visiting the Basilica and one for which you will need to pay an extra couple of euros, this however will get you the personal attention of a delightful multilingual lady who will explain what you are looking at and the loan of a torch to enable you to see the detail.
It is in fact a large Nativity scene made from carved wood and cork by the artist Johachim Merchado de Castro. It consists of 500 figures, including the obvious but also a frankly bewildering array of mini scenes.
The three wise men can be seen as can a surprising number of sinners, however the workmanship and sheer novelty cannot fail to amuse and poking around with the torch provided can reveal some surprising scenes!
We decided to return along the tracks of the famous number 28 tram which has a stop just outside the church. This is my favourite way to see the city and the rattling, squeaking, squealing electric trams have been plying their trade in Lisbon since the turn of the century. Most of the remaining routes are in the old city areas and this is reflected in the remaining tram numbers. The number 28 runs from Estella to the Castle at Sau Jorge climbing and descending through the area of Alfama and terminates at Martin Moniz. Up hill and tiny streets, its a fascinating ride and takes about 40 minutes.
The trams themselves are things of antique beauty, although being upgraded for safety reasons over the years they have kept that turn of the century feel with sash windows ( that you are advised not to lean against ) and leather seats if you are lucky enough to sit down, its a very popular route.
Here again is a small video of scenes from the day.
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