Igreja de São João

Évora


The small, fabulous Igreja de São João, which faces the Templo Romano, was founded in 1485 by one Rodrigo Afonso de Melo, count of Olivença and the first governor of Portuguese Tangier, to serve as his family’s pantheon. It is still privately owned, by the Duques de Cadaval, and notably well kept.

Behind its elaborate Gothic portal is a nave lined with fantastic floor-to-ceiling azulejos produced in 1711 by one of Portugal’s best-known tile-makers, António de Oliveira Bernardes. The grates in the floor expose a surprising underworld: you can see a deep Moorish cistern that pre-dates the church and an ossuary full of monks’ bones. In the sacristy beyond are fragments of even earlier azulejos.

After exploring the church, head next door to the Palácio Cadaval with its collection of illuminated manuscripts, Arraiolos carpets and 18th-century paintings of Portuguese royals.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Évora attractions

1. Palácio Cadaval

0.02 MILES

Just northwest of the Igreja de São João is the 17th-century facade of a much older palace and castle, as revealed by the two powerful square towers that…

2. Convento dos Lóios

0.03 MILES

The former Convento dos Lóios, to the right of Igreja de São João, has elegant Gothic cloisters topped by a Renaissance gallery. A national monument, the…

3. Templo Romano

0.04 MILES

Once part of the Roman Forum, the remains of this temple, dating from the 2nd or early 3rd century AD, are a heady slice of drama right in town. It's…

4. Casas Pintadas

0.06 MILES

Painted on the garden walls of an open-vaulted gallery are a series of unusual 16th-century murals that were once part of a noble’s residence. Recently…

5. Fórum Eugénio de Almeida

0.06 MILES

In a building that once housed the Holy Office of Inquisition, this centre of arts and culture hosts some of Évora’s most thought-provoking art…

6. Museu do Évora

0.08 MILES

Adjacent to the cathedral, in what used to be the archbishop’s palace (built in the 16th century), is this elegant museum. The cloistered courtyard…

7. Coleção de Carruagens

0.09 MILES

Part of the Eugénio de Almeida Foundation, this pint-sized museum houses an intriguing collection of old carriages. It’s hidden away behind the Sé and is…

8. Termas Romanas

0.11 MILES

Inside the entrance hall of the câmara municipal (town hall) are more Roman vestiges, only discovered in 1987. These impressive Roman baths, which include…