Bemposta Chapel and Palace

Royal Chapel of Our Lady of the Conception – Bemposta Palace (Military Academy)

On Largo do Paço da Rainha, in Pena, the Bemposta Palace was built from 1694 at the wish of Catherine, Infanta of Portugal and Queen of England, widow of Charles II, who made it her residence. The stonework, contracted in 1701, followed a design by the architect João Antunes, and in 1706 the Royal Chapel was installed in the palace. Razed by the 1755 earthquake, the chapel was rebuilt to a design by Manuel Caetano de Sousa, and in 1793 the painters Pedro Alexandrino de Carvalho and José António Narciso decorated the ceilings. On the high altar is a canvas of the patron saint by José Troni, with a frieze of portraits of the royal family. King João VI lived in the palace and died there in 1826. In 1849 it passed to the Ministry of War and in 1851 the Army School was installed in it, from which the Military Academy descends, its command being based here. The chapel has been classified as a National Monument since 2002, as part of the group of buildings used by the Academy, and was opened for worship in 1853. As a military installation, it has no published visiting hours: access depends on authorisation and on occasional organised visits.

Located at: Academia Militar
Address: Largo do Paço da Rainha, 1150-045 Lisboa
Opening hours: No visiting hours published; military installation with occasional visits by authorisation
Coordinates: 38.7234983, -9.1381673
Buses: 730, 760, 17B, 767, 19B, 723, 708, 734, 736, 774
Tram: 12E, 28E
Metro: Intendente (Green), Anjos (Green)
Opened: 1694 (332 years)