Tourism

Cistern of Lamego

The Cistern of Lamego is a remarkable example of a medieval cistern located near the Castle of Lamego, in the historic Bairro do Castelo area. It is a large, rectangular vaulted water reservoir built of stone blocks, featuring a ribbed ogival vault supported by robust bands and pillars. It is considered one of the finest examples of castle cisterns in Portugal.Following rehabilitation work, the site was adapted for public visits and transformed into an exhibition space that invites visitors to explore the urban history of Lamego. The interior includes interpretive features that combine images, sounds, and everyday historical memories.The cistern is part of the heritage ensemble of Lamego Castle, which is classified as a National Monument, and forms an integral component of the fortified area that shaped the historical development of the city.During summertime, closing time changes to 6 p.m.

Homenagem ao Soldado Desconhecido

Erected in memory of the dead of the Great War, it was inaugurated in 1932. Subsequently, two plaques were added: one in 1954, in tribute to the dead of Dadra, and another, placed by the veterans of the Great War in honor of those who died in that conflict. Another plaque, made of white marble, mentions the high decorations that the R.I. 9 of Lamego received for its bravery demonstrated in France during the First Great War (1914/18), especially at the Battle of Neuve Chapelle. The enormous proportions of the statue and its central location have, since its construction, generated some controversy. However, in general, the monument instills special respect among Lamego residents and sparks some curiosity in visitors.

Chagas’ Church

The Church of the Chagas, also known as the Church of the Monastery of the Chagas, is located in Lamego and stands as one of the city’s most significant religious heritage sites. It was originally part of the Monastery of the Chagas, founded in 1588 by the Bishop of Lamego, D. António Teles de Menezes, for nuns of the Order of Saint Clare. Today, the church is the only surviving structure of the former convent and is classified as a Property of Public Interest. Its façade features a Renaissance portico flanked by classical columns. Inside, the single‑nave interior is richly decorated with 17th‑century tiles, gilt woodwork and Baroque altarpieces, notably those dedicated to Saint John the Evangelist and Saint John the Baptist. The ceiling and other internal structures, including former choir areas and the sacristy, further enhance its artistic and historical value. Owned by the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lamego, the Church of the Chagas has undergone restoration works that highlight its artistic heritage and is open for religious services and cultural events.Open for religious worship and hosts important events.

Sé de Lamego

In the 12th century, after the restoration of the diocese of Lamego, the construction of a larger temple began. Its location was established in the Rossio de Lamego, in the lower part of the future city, and construction began in the year 1159. Consecrated in 1175 to Santa Maria and S. Sebastião, the probable conclusion of the Cathedral would only happen in 1191. However, the various ages of History were responsible for significantly altering its original Romanesque profile. The Cathedral opens onto a wide paved churchyard, a work from the 18th century, with the facade marked by the robust tower remodeled in the 1700s. The main facade of the temple was rebuilt during the reign of D. Manuel I, combining the forms of flamboyant Gothic and the timid emergence of some forms of the Renaissance. Indeed, this renovation of the episcopal cathedral began in the 15th century and continued through the next. The facade’s construction campaign took place between 1508 and 1515, according to the plans of the architect João Lopes. On the ground floor, three pointed arch portals open, with the central one being larger, consisting of several archivolts resting on colonnettes, decorated with small sculptures of plant and zoomorphic motifs. Above these, Gothic windows open, with the central one of monumental dimensions and divided by curved stone frames. The three sections of the facade are divided by four buttresses and topped by pinnacles with crockets. Of the various dependencies that extend north of the main facade, the former Paço dos Bispos is notable, an 18th-century Baroque building that has been occupied since 1917 by the Lamego Museum, where some of the best works of art from the Cathedral and other religious houses in the city are kept. The interior of the cathedral is divided into three naves separated into three sections and covered by groin vaults, resting on round arches and thick pillars. The ceilings were painted in the first half of the 18th century by the Italian painter-architect Nicolau Nasoni, revealing perspectival compositions of triumphant Baroque, with an architectural theme framing biblical episodes. In the side naves, various and sumptuous Baroque altars open. Of large dimensions, the main chapel was remodeled in the 18th century, with an altarpiece from the late 1700s combining marble and gilded woodcarving, as well as a neoclassical choir stall with a high backrest. The windows, doors, arches, and its two organs are decorated by showy gilded woodcarving structures. The side chapels are modeled by superb Baroque altarpiece carvings, by João Garcia Lopes and made in 1751. The main altar of the Blessed Sacrament has a laborious silver frontal, the work of a goldsmith from Porto and dated to the third quarter of the 18th century. In the high choir, you can admire a beautiful choir stall with paintings, a graceful work of 18th-century Baroque. The illuminated sacristy contains a scenic Calvary with rocaille woodcarving, the work of a regional workshop and dated 1757. The balanced cathedral cloister is a 16th-century undertaking, divided into two floors, the first formed by round arches and the upper one consisting of a gallery of simple columns supporting a porch. On the lower floor of the cloister, there are two magnificent chapels. The one dedicated to Santo António is covered by a gilded and polychrome carved altar, housing sacred 17th-century images. The Chapel of São Nicolau, completed in 1563, has part of the walls lined with 18th-century tiles alluding to the life of the saint, which are the work of a workshop in the capital. It also has a harmonious and lively 18th-century carved altarpiece. In this 16th-century chapel, D. Manuel de Noronha, one of the most prominent bishops of the diocese of Lamego, is buried. Opening hours may vary according to the schedule of masses, celebrations, and other religious events.

Teatro Ribeiro Conceição

Dating back to 1727, this theater was initially built to be the Misericórdia Hospital of Lamego, which operated here until 1892. Four years later, the old hospital became the new Regiment Barracks. However, on July 31, 1897, a serious fire reduced this building to rubble. In 1924, Commander José Ribeiro Conceição bought the ruined building at a public auction for ten thousand and one escudos (forty-nine euros and eighty-eight cents) and transformed it into an important and prestigious concert hall that would be a reference in the cultural life of the country’s interior for several decades. With great pomp and circumstance, the theater was inaugurated on February 2, 1929, maintaining its cultural activity until 1987, the year it was already in an advanced state of degradation. Finally, the Municipality of Lamego decides to proceed with the acquisition of this 18th-century monument, and in 1993, recovery and consolidation works were carried out on the building. At the end of 2005, rehabilitation works were carried out, and on February 23, 2008, the most beautiful concert hall in the Douro region was reopened: the Ribeiro Conceição Theater.   O horário de funcionamento do teatro poderá variar consoante a programação de espetáculos e eventos.

Lamego Museum

Located in the historic centre of the city, the Lamego Museum was founded in 1917, in an 18th-century building that served as the Episcopal Palace. It belongs to the select group of centenary museums, whose creation reflects the effects of the Law of Separation of Church and State (1911), which followed the establishment of the Republic. With a truly eclectic collection, it houses painting, tapestry, furniture, goldsmithing, liturgical vestments and means of transport that were part of the former palace’s furnishings, later complemented by a set of chapels decorated with gilded woodcarving, archaeological artefacts, ceramics, prints, drawings and photography. The Flemish tapestry collection, woven in Brussels in the first half of the 16th century, the panels painted by Vasco Fernandes (Grão Vasco) for the Lamego Cathedral at the same time, the 17th-century tile panels, and a medieval tomb chest, classified as “national treasures,” are among the most significant works in a chronologically wide-ranging collection, with pieces dating from the 1st to the 20th century. Diverse and varied, the collection allows visitors to trace the evolution of the city of Lamego and the lives of the men and women who inhabited it over the centuries. The museum is part of the network of National Museums and Monuments in Portugal, managed by the Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage (DGPC) and integrated into the national circuit, even though it is currently undergoing refurbishment to modernise the facilities and improve accessibility.

Porta dos Figos Archaeological Center

This site constitutes the most important archaeological complex discovered in Lamego, illustrating the city’s transformation over more than two thousand years of history. Arranged in overlapping layers, the ruins offer a "journey through time"—from the earliest residential occupation during the Roman (1st–5th centuries) and Suebic-Visigothic periods (5th–7th centuries), when the city was elevated to an episcopal see, through its transformation into a cemetery (9th–11th centuries), which was later abandoned to make way for the city’s new defensive wall (12th–13th centuries) and the housing that formed the foundation of today’s Bairro do Castelo urban layout. Visitors can follow a dedicated route designed to interpret the archaeological structures, complemented by a video projection and an exhibit of artifacts unearthed at the site—most notably an important 4th-century Roman coin hoard, alongside ceramics, glassware, and other everyday objects belonging to former inhabitants. An interactive screen also allows visitors to explore information regarding the cemetery and the bioanthropological data of those buried there.

Câmara Municipal de Lamego

The Lamego City Council is the main executive body of the municipality, responsible for the administrative, cultural, and urban management of the city. The building houses the municipal services and is a reference point in the political and social life of the community.

Lamego Municipal Library

The building that now houses the Lamego Municipal Library was the Palácio Mesquitela, a former manor house that later served as the headquarters of Caixa Geral de Depósitos and, after renovation works, became the library. It is an example of 17th-century architecture, linked to the Mesquitela family, and an important local cultural landmark. The origins of the Lamego Public Municipal Library date back to the late 19th century. The Viscount Guedes Teixeira, a major supporter of the Lamego Library, expressed the intention of maintaining a library in his municipality. Cassiano Neves was the main driving force behind a Popular Education Association, which included a Popular Library with 1,400 books, and is considered the principal founder of the Lamego Public Municipal Library. The Lamego Municipal Library is a dynamic space that offers, in addition to book lending and free Internet access (Wi-Fi), an online catalogue for research, reading promotion activities, guided tours, and research support. Its operations focus on the development of readers and civic participation, with a collection comprising more than 12,000 works.

Church of Santa Maria de Almacave

Built near an Arab necropolis (macab – from which the name Almacave derives), this religious temple is a Romanesque construction (12th century) that was profoundly altered, especially in the 17th century, as evidenced by the tile panels with geometric and plant motifs, the pulpit, and the gilded woodcarving. From the primitive Romanesque style, the pointed arch portal with four archivolts stands out, with the most extensive one bordered by a checkered band. In the 18th century, the altars were enriched with tiles and gilded woodcarvings. Also noteworthy, in its interior—a single nave without a transept and with a chancel—are the tiles on the walls and choir, the pulpit built in 1600, and the sculptures of St. Joseph and St. Anthony, in 18th-century upholstered wood. History says that the first Cortes (parliamentary assembly) of the Kingdom of Portugal were held at the Church of Santa Maria de Almacave in the year 1143. Even today, the evocation of this assembly, in which D. Afonso Henriques, the first King of Portugal, was acclaimed and invested, is one of the symbols of Lamego’s historical past.

Statue of D. Miguel of Portugal (Bishop of Lamego)

This monument was inaugurated in 1951 in honour of the bishop ambassador, D. Miguel de Portugal. The statue is the work of Madeiran sculptor Francisco Franco. D. Miguel de Portugal was born in Évora, the son of D. Luís de Portugal, Count of Vimioso, and D. Joana de Mendonça, Countess of Basto. He was bishop of Lamego from 1635 to 1644, the year of his death. A year after the Restoration of Independence, in 1641, he was sent to Rome by D. João IV with the aim of presenting to Pope Urban VIII the reasons that justified the king’s claim to the throne of Portugal. Although he was never received by the Pope, he faced the intrigues of Spanish diplomacy with great courage and heroically resisted an ambush carried out by agents in the pay of the King of Castile who wanted to assassinate him.

"O Cochicho" Statues

Located in Lamego’s main reception square, within the central flowerbed of the Jardim Visconde Guedes Teixeira, these sculptures were gifted to the city by one of its most distinguished native sons, Dr. João de Almeida, just like the ones set in the basins along Avenida Dr. Alfredo de Sousa. Created by the Porto School of Fine Arts, the two statues depict two female figures holding pitchers from which trickles of water pour down into the large pool surrounding them. The figure on the right appears to whisper a secret to her companion, giving rise to the popular local name "estátuas do cochicho" ("whispering statues").

O Lamego

This is undoubtedly one of the most famous statues in the city of Lamego. Placed atop the fountain of the same name, it depicts a warrior in a haughty posture, wearing a helmet, holding a halberd in his right hand and a shield bearing the arms of Lamego in his left. The base bears the inscription Lamego. It is a well-executed work carved from the hard granite of the region and has always aroused curiosity. It is an integral part of the monumental fountain, and its history is therefore associated with it.

Bust of the Poet Fausto Guedes Teixeira

Unveiled in 1944, this bust pays tribute to the Lamego-born poet Fausto Guedes Teixeira. Designed by Rui Couto and António Couto, the work was sculpted by the artist Costa Mota Sobrinho. Fausto Guedes Teixeira, son of Viscount Guedes Teixeira, was born in Lamego in 1871. After completing his studies at the Lamego High School, he enrolled at the University of Coimbra, where he graduated with a degree in law. His talent as an admirable lyricist was already evident when he published Náufragos at just 18 years old. In 1893, he published Mocidade Perdida, followed in 1894 by O Livro do Amor, which would permanently cement his literary reputation. His time in Coimbra was marked by delightful poetic improvisations that charmed an entire romantic generation. In 1899, he published Esperança Nossa and Carta de um Poeta. He spent a period in Brazil hoping to practice his profession, but returned home sick and longing for his homeland. In 1906, he published Almas Tristes, followed in 1908 by O meu Livro, which contains some of his finest verses. Visitors to Penedo da Saudade in Coimbra can find a commemorative plaque honoring the poet, inscribed with one of his verses.

Chapel of the Holy Spirit

The Chapel of the Holy Spirit is a small and unique religious building located in the centre of Lamego, next to the Holy Spirit Fountain, on Rua das Canastras. The chapel was rebuilt in the 16th century by Bishop Manuel de Noronha, whose coat of arms can be found on the outside of the building, marking his intervention and his role in the religious history of the city. The interior of the chapel is small but features a remarkable decorative artistic ensemble. The main highlight is an 18th-century sculpture of the Holy Spirit by an unknown artist, which is located on the high altar and is of particular interest to visitors. In addition to the central sculpture, the space displays Baroque altarpieces, including an elegant altar on the Gospel side, a pulpit covered in gilded woodcarving and walls decorated with 17th-century tiles, which enrich the interior and reflect the Baroque aesthetics of the period. 

Republic Garden

The Jardim da República is an iconic public green space located in the historic centre of Lamego, in the district of Viseu, next to the Town Hall and close to other points of interest in the city. This garden occupies an area with a natural slope between the streets that border it and is accessible via a staircase covered with traditional blue and white tiles, which are one of the most characteristic visual elements of the site. Historically, the garden originated in the old Campo do Tablado, a public space opposite the Convento das Chagas, founded in the 16th century. The area has been transformed over time into the garden we know today. Also in this area, next to the garden, is the well-known ‘O Lamego’ fountain, originally built in 1830 and later reinstalled on the hillside of the garden.