NATIONAL PANTHEON 
CHURCH OF SANTA ENGRACIA

The National Pantheon, created by Decree of September 26, 1836, has been installed in Lisbon, in the Church of Santa Engrácia, since December 1, 1966 (Before the completion of the works of the Church of Santa Engrácia, from 1836 to 1966 o The National Pantheon was installed in the Jerónimos Monastery). It was created with the aim of dignifying and honoring illustrious Portuguese figures, for the collective memory of the Portuguese.

​

Founded in the second half of the 16th century (1568, when Infanta D. Maria, daughter of King Manuel I had a church built to receive the reliquary of the martyr virgin Santa Engrácia de Zaragoza), the building was completely rebuilt in the end. of the Sixteenth Century (1682) by the architect João Antunes, having its construction completed only in the second half of the 20th century (1966).

Although it never opened for worship, it preserves, under the modern dome, the majestic space of the nave, animated by the colorful marble decoration, characteristic of Portuguese Baroque architecture. 

It has been classified as a National Monument since 1910. In 1916 it was given the function of National Pantheon. In 1966 it was finally inaugurated and the first mortal remains were solemnly transferred. 

​

In this space are the tombs of the writer Almeida Garret and Guerra Junqueira, the presidents of the Republic Teófilo Braga and Manuel de Arriaga, general Humberto Delgado, fado singer Amália Rodrigues and soccer player Eusébio, among many other citizens rest in this Pantheon.  

​

With honors from the Pantheon in the form of the Cenotaph (sepulchral monument erected in memory of a dead person buried elsewhere) are D. Nuno Álvares Pereira (Saint Nuno de Santa Maria), Infante D. Henrique, D. Afonso de Albuquerque, Pedro Alvares Cabral, Vasco da Gama and Luís Vaz de Camões.

Consul Aristides de Sousa Mendes will also have the honors of the National Pantheon (Tomb without a body) from October 5, 2021.