Viseu Cathedral Beira Alta

Portugal Churches: Viseu Cathedral (Sé; Catedral de Viseu)

Cathedral, Viseu, Portugal. — Cathedral, Viseu, Portugal

The cathedral in Viseu, in the Beira Alta region of Portugal is the historic heart of the town. It is located in a square, Praça de Sé, facing the Igreja da Misericórdia, and flanked by the Museu de Grão Vasco, the former Bishop's Palace.

History

The twin-domed, mainly granite, Romanesque-Gothic church dates from the 12th and 13th centuries with many later additions over the following years. As a result the cathedral displays a mix of various architectural styles including Gothic, Manueline and Baroque.

The building was greatly enlarged in the 16th century by João de Castilho. Castilho was the great architect with a hand in many of Portugal's finest, historic buildings: the Convent of Christ in Tomar, Jerónimos Monastery in the Belém district of Lisbon, and the monasteries of Batalha and Alcobaça.

Castilho added a new façade and the stone roof. The church's rib vaulting and Manueline touches of intricate nautical ropes and knots date from this period.

The superb, painted altarpieces also from this time by Vasco Fernandes (aka Grão Vasco, the Great Vasco) can now be seen in the adjacent Museu de Grão Vasco

A storm damaged one of the twin bell towers in 1635 and this, along with the portal, were redesigned and replaced by another Spanish architect, João Moreno.

The organ, pulpits and wonderful azulejos tiles in the church are later Baroque additions.

The facade of the cathedral, Viseu, Portugal. — The façade and twin bell towers, Viseu, Portugal

Sacred Art Museum

Above the cloisters and transept is the Sacred Art Museum with exhibits of religious art, books, choir stalls, reliquaries, vestments and sculpture. There are also great views from a balcony here looking out over the town.

The Igreja da Misericórdia across the square can be clearly seen. This is another beautiful church known for its Rococo façade. Igreja da Misericórdia was built in 1775 by architect Antonio da Costa Faro. The church includes the Tesouro da Misericórdia, with more religious art on display.

Viseu Church of Misericordia, Portugal. — Viseu's Church of Misericordia

Museu de Grão Vasco. — Saint Peter by Grão Vasco once in the cathedral and now on display in the Museu de Grão Vasco

Access & Hours

Viseu Cathedral
Adro Sé
Viseu, 3500-195 Portugal
Tel. 232 436 065.

Hours: 8 am - 12 pm; 2 pm - 7 pm. The Sacred Art Museum is open Tuesday - Friday 9 am - 12 pm; 2 pm - 5 pm and Saturday 2 pm - 5 pm. There is a small entrance fee to visit the Sacred Art Museum. Entrance to the cathedral itself is free.

Viseu has bus connections from the bus terminal at Avenida Dr Antonio Jose de Almeida to Coimbra (75 minutes), Covilhã (1 hour, 40 minutes), Lisbon (3 hours, 30 minutes), Porto (1 hour, 45 minutes), Mangualde (20 minutes) and Guarda (75 minutes).

Buses also go to Salamanca in Spain with onward connections to Madrid. The bus station is a short walk downhill from the Camera Municipal (Town Hall).

Viseu has a number of excellent places to stay including the Hotel Avenida, right next to Rossio, the Casa da Rua da Paz, the Hotel Palacio dos Melos and the Pousada De Viseu, located in a grand 19th century building.