The National Pantheon—The Works that Never Ends

In February 2025, Jill and I journeyed to Lisbon, a four-day daughter-father getaway, to delve into the city's rich heritage, explore its iconic landmarks, uncover its fascinating history, and savor its vibrant cuisine. We had a wonderful time!

Click HERE to read a short introduction to our trip.
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This story, part of a series, chronicles our exploration of an iconic landmark: the National Pantheon. ​

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Lisbon, Portugal (February 23, 2025) It was early morning, around 9AM, when Jill and I landed in Lisbon. We had taken a red eye from Philadelphia—and before that, a flight to Philly from Phoenix—and neither of us had slept a wink.

After we cleared customs and gathered our luggage, Jill arranged for an Uber driver to take us to Santa Apolónia, the main train station in the center of Lisbon. We stored our bags at a “Left Luggage” drop off across from the train station, and from there we hoofed it a quarter mile up Sao Vicente Hill to an iconic landmark with a magnificent dome that is a defining feature of the city’s skyline.

When I first glimpsed the dome of the National Pantheon—in Portuguese, O Panteão Nacional—it was shrouded in a cloud that was nearly at ground level, lending a sense of mystery to a building nicknamed “the works that never ends.” Fortunately, it didn’t take long for the fog to burn off.

The National Pantheon occupies a building that was a church for many centuries. The first church, dedicated to the “virgin martyr” Saint Engracia, was built in the 16th century…and collapsed less than 100 years later. 

​In 1681, work began on a new church, named the Church of Santa Engracia. As envisioned by its chief architect, Joao Antunes, the new church would be larger and more grand—a “groundbreaking example of Baroque architecture” with an undulating façade, square towers, and a centralized floor plan in the shape of a Greek cross. 
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Unfortunately, Antunes—the driving force behind the church—passed away in 1712, and the Portuguese king, King John V, shifted the country’s financial resources to other projects. There was no further work on the church for two centuries.

And then, work was restarted quite early in the 20th century when the Church of Santa Engracia was repurposed as the National Pantheon—a designation that gave this project renewed significance as it would honor and house the remains of prominent Portuguese figures.

Let me digress for a moment.

In 2016, Debra and I spent a few days in Rome, ahead of a Mediterranean cruise, and we visited the Pantheon—a surprisingly short walk from where we stayed—on our first day in The Eternal City.  There, I learned that a pantheon was a building dedicated to gods, as was the case in Rome, or notable figures. 

Now, back to my story.

Here are a few of the distinguished figures from Portuguese's history whose remains were interred in tombs at the National Pantheon: Amalia Rodrigues (a legendary fado singer); Humberto Delgado (a general and politician); Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen (a celebrated poet and writer—left-hand photo below); Eusebio da Silva Ferreira (Portugal’s greatest soccer legend—right-hand photo below); and Manuel de Arriaga (first President of Portugal). 

In addition to the tombs, there are monuments and memorials dedicated to other historical figures, including famed Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama, whose remains were buried at the Monastery of Jeronimos in Belem, the westernmost district of Lisbon. 

​Before we stepped inside, Jill and I stopped for a moment to admire the facade, which was built of white limestone. There were four 40-foot-tall columns that stood atop a semicircular portico, with three 20-foot-tall archways between them. On either side of the portico were massive bell towers in the shape of a square. Although the dome is not visible in this photo (it was when we stood further back), this grand structure, with a series of intricately designed windows and arches, rose more than 250 feet above the ground—an impressive crown for the building. The dome, which was completed in 1966, was also built of white limestone.    

It was beautiful…and majestic!

The interior of the Pantheon was just as grand.

The floor of the main hall was adorned with geometric patterns of colored marble and its walls were lined with tombs. The central area beneath the dome was massive, and the natural light that cascaded down from the dome’s many windows “created a sense of openness and serenity.”

The altar in the main hall, which served as a focal point, was originally part of the Church of Santa Engrácia—so it was easy for Jill and me to imagine the church that once occupied this building.

There was a stone stairway with approximately 100 steps that led Jill and me to the upper galleries, as well as a terrace that surrounded the dome. The climb, which was a bit arduous, was well worth it, especially for the incredible 360-degree views of the Tagus River and surrounding neighborhoods. 

​By the way, you can click on any photo to enlarge it, and I encourage you to do so with pic at the bottom right above, as you just may make out the Christ the King monument on the horizon. The statue of Christ is 92 feet tall, and it is perched on a pedestal that is 246 feet tall—an impressive 338 feet in all. 

Here’s another photo of the monument, which I snapped with a zoom lens.

Christ the King, located across the Tagus River in Almada, seemed to float above the clouds, but this was an illusion caused by a bank of clouds that were draped just above the water. 

This statue, which was inaugurated on May 17, 1959, might look familiar to you, as it was inspired by the Christ the Redeemer, an iconic Art Deco statue in Rio de Janeiro.   

The National Pantheon was a winner for me—and a great introduction to Lisbon—as it checked the trio of passions that guide my travels: culture, architecture, and history.