Built in 1598, the palace has served as the home of Portugal's parliament since 1834. The adjoining São Bento Mansion serves as the prime minister's residence.
The São Bento Palace is the seat of the Assembly of the Republic, the parliament of Portugal. It is located in the Estrela district of Lisbon. The building has been home to the succession of Portuguese national parliaments since 1834. São Bento Mansion, the official residence of the Prime Minister of Portugal, is within the grounds of São Bento Palace.
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Puppetry Museum
The museum covers the history of puppetry around the world, with an emphasis on Portugal. Various types of puppets are on display.
Jardim Botânico
A hidden gem. It was created several hundred years ago, by a King of Portugal at the time of the Discoveries. The story goes that this King wanted one of every type of plant in the world, and although that's unlikely, there is a huge collection dating back by three or four centuries which is worth checking out. And there's something quite eerie about seeing plants or huge trees from completely different climates growing next to each other in apparent harmony. A great place to take a picnic: this green oasis is completely surrounded by city but even the city sounds filter out.
Mirador
Excellent panorama from the lovely terrace/garden on top of Elevador da Glória and northern corner of Bairro Alto.
This museum is installed in the restored 18th-century former Royal Silk Factory. Its permanent collection covers a wide time period of the works of 20th-century painters Arpad Szenes and Maria Helena Vieira da Silva, and regularly hosts exhibits by their contemporaries.
The hilltop church of the former convent of Carmo is a towering memorial of the 1755 earthquake, which made the roof of the church collapse, but the Gothic arches of the nave survived. The church was preserved that way and now serves as the Museu Arqueológico in the extant parts of the building. The museum houses a hodgepodge of archaeological artifacts from around Portugal and the world including mummies from South America, tombs of Portuguese rulers, and the Stations of the Cross on 18th-century painted tiles. The assorted artifacts are not well explained, but the church is a sight to see and visitors come to relax in the grassy nave of the church, and draw or photograph the spires.
Portugal's impressive national art collection, including 14-19th century European painting, artefacts of Portuguese contact with the East and Africa and a collection of ecclesiastical treasures. Highlights include Dürer's St Jerome, Hieronymus Bosch's Temptations of St Antony, Nuno Gonçalves' Adoration of St Vincent, and 16th century Japanese paintings of Portuguese traders.