Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição Velha

The Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição is a church in the civil parish of Madalena, in the municipality of Lisbon. The Church of Conceição dos Freires, or Conceição Velha, was not included in the original plans to reconstruct the Lisbon riverfront, even though it was partially ruined. Instead, King Joseph gave the monks from the Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição the location of the Misericórdia church, and ordered Pombaline architect Francisco António Ferreira in 1770, to rebuild the structure. Once renovations were completed, the clerics of the Conceição, re-occupied the rebuilt Misericórdia Church, and the Brotherhood of the Misericórdia was transferred to the Church of São Roque.Francisco António Ferreira, also known as o Cangalhas, reused the lateral entrance, central column, two Manueline windows, the relief of the Misericórdia, and Chapel of the Holy Sacrement, as the new entrance. With this, he reoriented the temple, whose southern entrance became the principal, and the lateral chapel became the presbytery. The main facade, crowned by triangular pediment, is marked by an ornate Manueline portico, with a tympanum that includes the Virgin of the Misericórdia, and figures of nobles and religious clerics. Flanked by comparable Manueline-style windows, the whole group has semblances to the Monastery of the Jerónimos.HistoryIn 1498, the Confraria da Misericórdia was instituted, under the initiative of Eleanor of Viseu and friar Miguel Contreiras . The new institution was transferred a chapel in the cloister of the Sé Cathedral of Lisbon. In 1502, after transferring the title of the Hermitage of Restelo to the Order of Saint Jerónimo, King Manuel traded to the Order of Christ the Casa da Judiaria Grande, a synagogue situated in Vila Nova . The victorious Christians then rebuilt and consecrated the new church to Our Lady of the Conception, then known as the Church of the Conceição dos Freires, later known as the Conceição Velha . At the time, it was called the Church of the Misercórdia.