Oi gente everyone, which is Portuguese for “Hello everyone”. Welcome to another episode from ChurchMapped. As you probably guessed, today we’re heading to Portugal to see the Estrela Basilica. The Estrela Basilica is situated in Portugal’s capital, Lisbon. As far as geography goes, Portugal is in a part of Europe known as the “Iberian peninsula”. This consists of Portugal, as well as Spain and a little part called “Gibraltar”, which belongs to the United Kingdom. Right here. Let’s zoom in a bit more. Yes, here. As far as recognition goes, it is perhaps uncontroversial to say that Portugal is something of a “hidden gem” compared to Spain and that’s somewhat unfortunate because Portugal has played a significant part in world history. Here are some interesting things about Portugal: 1) Portuguese is in the top 10 most spoken languages in the world, spoken not only in Portugal, but also in Brazil as well as Cape Verde 2) Portugal is a major player in sports, particularly in football, counting among other stars Cristiano Ronaldo, Luís Figo, Eusébio and others 3) the military alliance between Portugal and the United Kingdom (or more precisely, England) is one of the oldest in the world that is still in force. By the way, speaking of the United Kingdom, be sure to check out our travel guide of St. Peter’s Italian Church in London, England [show card as well as image of St. Peter’s Italian Church, London, England]. We’ve created a playlist of churches right across the UK for you to explore. Just be sure to visit our YouTube channel, click “Playlists” and then click “United Kingdom” 4) St. Anthony of Padua is from Portugal, not from Padua, Italy. By the way, be sure to check him out in our travel guide of Corpus Christi Church, New York, United States. Perhaps you know an interesting thing or two about Portugal? Be sure to leave it in the comments below, we would be interested to hear it! Like the country itself, the Estrela Basilica is also something of a “hidden gem” in Portugal’s capital. If you watched our previous travel guide of Amiens Cathedral in Amiens, France – be sure to check it out - you will know that Amiens Cathedral also has the more formal sounding name of “Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Amiens”. We never actually discussed in that travel guide what exactly a “basilica” is and we left the issue open to our travel guide of the Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis, United States – be sure to check that out when it gets published. If you want to keep up to date with our travel guides and information on churches right across the world, be sure to hit that Subscribe button over here on YouTube. Also give us a follow on Twitter with the handle @ChurchMapped and give us a ‘like’ on Facebook too. Oh, and be sure to visit www.churchmapped.com too. Now back to where we were. . . The Estrela Basilica, like the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Amiens otherwise known as Amiens Cathedral, is a basilica. A basilica actually has two definitions. We’ll discuss the more official definition first. A basilica is a status that is given to a church by the pope to signify the importance of a church. They are subdivided into two categories. The first category is called a “Major basilica”. This is a basilica that, generally speaking, is in Rome, Italy. They comprise of the church of St. John Lateran, the church of St. Peter, the church of St. Paul Without-the-Walls and the church of St. Mary Major as well as the Church of St. Lawrence Without-the-Walls. Then there are what are known as “minor basilicas”. There are more minor basilicas around the world than major basilicas. Among them include Amiens Cathedral in Amiens, France, the Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis, United States as well as even in Rome, Italy such as the Minor Basilica of St. Lawrence in Lucina – be sure to check our upcoming travel guide out for that. Oh, and of course, an example of a minor basilica is right here before us in Lisbon, Portugal, that being the Estrela Basilica. That’s the first definition. Then there is the second definition. This is the less formal definition. A basilica is just a grand building. And that’s that. The Estrela Basilica is actually an English rendition of the Portuguese words, Basilica da Estrela. However, the more formal name of the church in English is the “Royal Basilica and Convent of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus”. In Portuguese, the Basilica do Sagrado Coraçao de Jesus. The name comes from the fact that the church is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a devotion expressing God’s love for the world. In fact, it was the first church of its kind to be dedicated to the Sacred Heart. The “Convent” part of the name comes from the fact that it was once a convent for the Carmelites. If you watched our previous travel guide of Farm Street Church in London, England, you will know that there exists what are known as “religious orders”. The religious order known as the “Jesuits” run Farm Street Church. Interestingly enough, as an aside, the Jesuits were banned from the Portuguese Empire in 1759. But. . .that’s a long story we’ll leave for another day. Well, the Estrela Basilica was once associated with the Carmelites. If you want to know more about the Carmelites, be sure to see our upcoming travel guide of the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St. Simon Stock, which is also in London, England. Both the fact that the church is dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus as well as the fact that it was once associated with the Carmelites are strongly seen throughout the interior of the church. But before we actually go inside, how about we adore the exterior. The church was built following a promise by Queen Maria I that she would build a church if she conceived and gave birth to a son. Construction for the church started in 1779 and was completed in 1790. Sadly, about two years prior to the completion of the church, the son of Queen Maria I, Prince José of Brazil, died at the age of 27 from smallpox. Very unfortunate. You might be wondering why exactly Prince José is styled “Prince of Brazil” when Queen Maria I was from Portugal and we’re here. . .in Portugal? Good question. Brazil was once part of the Portuguese Empire. They had very strong relations, and the heir apparent of the Kingdom of Portugal was frequently also styled the Prince of Brazil. Not only that, but several members of the Portuguese monarchy died in Brazil. The reason for this was because they had to flee Portugal in 1807 following Napoleon’s invasion of the country. This saw Queen Maria I and other members of the family move to Brazil, at the urging of the British government – remember when we said that the military alliance between Portugal and the United Kingdom is one of the oldest in the world? Interestingly enough, it was said that during her transfer, she would scream and yell, further indications of the mental challenges that she faced. Before we continue on our amazing tour of the Estrela Basilica, there are some, well, rather interesting things we thought we should point out. The first is that Queen Maria I of Portugal is known as “Maria the Pious” in Portugal. However, in Brazil, she is known as “Maria the Mad”. She actually had a great deal of mental challenges. Not only did she lose her son, Prince José, to smallpox; she also lost her daughter, Mariana, to smallpox too. Dr. Francis Willis, who had come to Portugal from England and was the doctor for the equally insane King George III – diagnosed Queen Maria as mad. By the way, speaking of King George III, if you’re really into the history of the British monarchy, St. Etheldreda’s Church is an absolute must-see. We speak about King Henry VII, King Henry VIII, among many others. Be sure to check it out! A second point we thought we should mention is. . .get this. . .Prince Jose was married at the tender age of 15 to his aunt, Maria Benedita of Portugal? It was a policy of many European royal families at the time to marry “within the family”. The House of Braganza was one such family. Maria Benedita and Prince Jose didn’t have any children. Speaking of marriage, did you know here at ChurchMapped we’re busy developing a dating platform? Yup, that’s right. Be sure to head over www.churchmapped.com/dating.html to find out all about it! Mind you, you have to be older than fifteen to use it. Be sure to check it out. That’s www.churchmapped.com/dating.html. The relatively early death of Prince Jose as well as the childless marriage between him and Maria Benedita of Portugal ties in with a myth known as the “Curse of the Braganzas” or, in Portuguese, “a Maldição dos Braganças”. This is the myth that states that the entire House of Braganza were cursed by a Franciscan friar who was kicked by King John IV of Portugal after he was begging for alms. The curse stated that none of the first-born male children would live long enough to inherit the throne. That’s actually what happened with Prince Jose, among many others. He died, leaving his younger brother, the Infante John VI to inherit the throne instead. His reign coincided with a very tumultuous time in Portuguese history, where Napoleon invaded Portugal and Brazil asserted its independence from Portugal. Creepy. . . But we’ll leave the extensive history for another day. If you’re really into this stuff, be sure to visit www.churchmapped.com. ChurchMapped is an upcoming travel website showcasing churches around the world. Heading back to the exterior of the Estrela Basilica, the exterior is somewhat distinct from that of other churches in that it primarily showcases allegorical statues as opposed to saints, like we saw over at the Cathedral of St. Paul in Minnesota, United States depicting St. Paul and St. Peter – be sure to check that travel guide out! The four statues of the facade are supposed to represent what Catholics designate the “theological virtues”. Theological virtues are virtues believed to only come from God: these are faith, hope and charity. The outermost of the four statues here represents Faith, Hope, Gratitude and Generosity. Although they are supposed to represent the theological virtues, which are three in total in the Catholic tradition, it is not actually clear why the sculptor, Joaquim Machado de Castro, has created four. The church is a mix of Neoclassical and baroque styles. In our upcoming travel guide of St. Roch’s Church in Vienna, Austria, we’ll see yet again another example of a baroque church. Be sure to subscribe to us here on YouTube to be updated on when that gets published. Also check us out on Twitter with our Twitter handle @ChurchMapped, and visit us on Facebook too! The reason for the mix of architectural styles of the Basilica Estrela stems from the fact that it was first started by the Portuguese architect Mateus Vincente de Oliveira. He primarily specialised in the baroque style, explaining why the church is mostly baroque too. However, he died in 1785, leaving Reinaldo Manuel dos Santos to put the finishing touches, giving the church a neoclassical twang. Right at the centre of the facade, we can see the Adoration of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, reflecting what this church is dedicated to. Over here, we have Elijah, one of the prophets from the Old Testament. Over here we have St. John of the Cross, a very important mystic from Spain in Christian tradition. Over here we have St. Teresa of Avila. Speaking of St. Teresa of Avila, be sure to subscribe to us to see our upcoming travel guide of the Convent of St Teresa of Avila in Avila, Spain! Over here we have St. Maria Magdalena de Pazzi, a member of the important Pazzi family in Italy. The commemoration of both St Teresa of Avila as well as St. Maria Magdalena de Pazzi reflects the strong association between the Carmelites and the church. And just to remind you, be sure to see our upcoming travel guide of the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St. Simon Stock in London, England. Speaking of churches right around the world, be sure to check out the Play Store on Google as well as the App Store over on Apple! We have an upcoming app game where you can test your knowledge on how much you know about churches right around the world. Be sure to check it out. By subscribing to our channel here on YouTube, you can be kept updated on all the latest games we publish. Let’s head inside. One of the things we first encounter is a painting of the Epiphany, a scene showing Christ being baptised by St. John the Baptist. The Estrela Basilica is truly breathtaking. Looking at the dome fills you with an immense sense of awe. The basilica was one of the largest churches to be built in the aftermath of the very impactful Lisbon earthquake of 1755, which had a monumental impact not only on Lisbon or even Portugal, but actually, European history as a whole. Many of the paintings in this church were designed by the painter Pompeo Batoni, an 18th century Italian artist. He was actually one of the most significant artists in Europe at the time, so much so that some describe him as the last “Old Master” of Italy. He achieved much fame for his portraits. Curiously, his legacy died down during the 19th century but attained a resurgence in the 20th and I suppose early 21st century. Let’s take a closer look at some of his paintings. Over here we have a painting of St. John the Evangelist, fittingly fitted above this part of the church dedicated to him. St. John the Evangelist was one of the writers of the Gospels, and we can see that depicted in this painting with his pen affixed to a script of some kind. This part of the church is dedicated to St Teresa of Avila. The painting by Pompeo Batoni depicts St Teresa of Avila with a group of other Carmelite nuns and Queen Maria I of Portugal. It once again shows the close association between the church and the Carmelites. Over here we have a part of the church dedicated to Our Lady of Lapa. Just to make things clear, it is custom in Catholic tradition to designate an area to Our Lady if she has made an appearance or apparition there. So, for instance, there is Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of Guadelupe, the list goes on. Here we have Our Lady of Lapa. Now this title isn’t particularly well-known outside of Portugal but it’s interesting that it’s given prominence here. The painting above is believed to have been painted by Pompeo Batoni, and it shows Queen Maria I of Portugal adoring the Sacred Heart of Mary together with her Guardian Angel, St. Michael the Archangel, St. Gabriel the Archangel as well as St. Raphael the Archangel. Over here we have a part of the church dedicated to St. Joseph. The painting is also by Pompeo Batoni and it reflects the scene from the Gospels of St Joseph receiving a dream about the Blessed Virgin Mary’s child being from God. We spoke about this briefly in our travel guide of St. James’ Church (Spanish Place) in London, England. Do check it out. Over here is a painting also by Pompeo Batoni showing the famous scene of St. Thomas finding out that the man before him was in fact Jesus, hence the popular English expression “Doubting Thomas”. Over here is a painting also by Pompeo Batoni showing St. Anthony of Padua, known more popularly in Portugal as St. Anthony of Lisbon. He is one of the most important saints in Portugal. And over here we have a painting by Pompeo Batoni of the Last Supper. One of the highlights of the church is the tomb of Queen Maria I of Portugal. She’s buried here, which is perhaps fitting for a lady known by the moniker, “Maria the Pious”. Behind the tomb is a group of sculptures depicting the Nativity Scene designed by the famous sculptor Joaquim Machado de Castro, but for that you’ll have to visit www.churchmapped.com. So that’s it! That’s the Estrela Basilica done for this episode of Churches Around The World from ChurchMapped, and we haven’t even got into details such as the fact you can walk up the stairs to get an amazing view of Lisbon, Portugal. For more information, be sure to visit www.churchmapped.com. You can also watch our travel guide on the go on your mobile phone. Be sure to do that if you do decide to visit the amazing city of Lisbon! You might be wondering, since we’re done, where exactly can we go to a get a bit of me-time after absorbing so much knowledge about the Estrela Basilica and Portugal more generally. Well, we’re in luck! Literally a few footsteps away, there is the Jardim da Estrela, or Estrela Garden. You can sit and recuperate before heading over to see other amazing churches in Lisbon. If you’re curious to see another church in Lisbon, Portugal, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to see St. Dominic’s church in Lisbon, Portugal. Also check us out on Twitter and Facebook. Don’t forget to check out our upcoming game being published in the Google Play and Apple App stores! Feel free to ask any questions down below. We can’t wait until it gets published. Until next time!