Palácio da Independência

Independence Palace – Historical Society for the Independence of Portugal

On Largo de São Domingos, next to Rossio, the Palácio da Independência was begun in 1467 by D. Fernando de Almada and belonged to the Almada family until 1940. It was here, in an outbuilding at the far end of the gardens, against the Fernandine wall, that some of the conspirators who brought about the Restoration of Independence on 1 December 1640 met, among them D. Antão de Almada, the owner of the house. After the 1755 earthquake it took in patients from the Hospital de Todos-os-Santos and housed the City Senate and the Court of Appeal; Almeida Garrett lived here in 1834. Acquired in 1940 through a subscription promoted by the Historical Society for the Independence of Portugal, with support from the Portuguese community in Brazil, it was restored under the direction of Raul Lino and handed over to the Society, which has its headquarters here. Classified as a National Monument, it retains sixteenth-century chimneys, Manueline doorways and Baroque and Joanine tile panels. In the raised garden, with box-hedged beds and a lobed pool, are the Hall of the Conspirators, a shell-encrusted grotto, a stretch of the Fernandine wall and a Manueline fountain flanked by tile panels celebrating the Restoration. The Society hosts lectures, exhibitions and book launches, and the palace can only be seen on guided tours, by appointment, on weekdays.

Located at: Sociedade Histórica da Independência de Portugal
Address: Largo de São Domingos, 11, 1150-320 Lisboa
Opening hours: Monday to Friday 09:00-13:00 and 14:00-18:00, guided tours by appointment only (closed at weekends)
Phone: +351 213 241 470
Coordinates: 38.7152692, -9.1391527
Buses: 709, 711, 732, 759, 736, 746, 783, 760, 737, 744
Tram: 12E, 28E, 15E, 25E
Metro: Rossio (Green), Restauradores (Blue)
Train: Sintra Line, Rossio Station
Opened: 1467 (559 years)