Monuments

Situated close to the Castelo de São Jorge, the Igreja do Menino de Deus is a monument that is well worth a visit.

It was commissioned in 1711 by the king Dom João V, in fulfilment of a vow that was realised on the birth of his male heir. At the time, it replaced a convent church that stood on the same site, where there was a small statue of Jesus (Menino de Deus).

The design of the church has been attributed to João Antunes, who was also the architect of the Igreja de Santa Engrácia, and it is an excellent example of the baroque style that he appreciated so highly. The interior is magnificent, decorated in the taste of the king who commissioned the work, Dom João V, the Magnanimous, who also commissioned the building of the monumental Convento de Mafra. Inside the church, attention is drawn to the decorative work in polychrome marble, the carved and gilded woodwork of the chapels and the paintings by André Gonçalves.

In the 1940s, the church passed into the hands of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny, who became responsible for running the Centro Social do Menino de Deus.