Igreja Paroquial das Mercês

Church in Lisbon, Portugal

The interior of this church (also known as the Church of Jesus) is not as rich or as monumental as that of the Church of St. Catherine nearby, but it hides one of the greatest works of Portuguese tile art. Still little-known, it dates from 1714 and is seen in a hall that is not always open to the public.

It’s a vaulted ceiling completely covered with Baroque tiles, evoking the Litanies of the Virgin Mary by Antonio de Oliveira Bernardes, one of the masters of tiled art.

The rest of the church’s interior is a reconstruction following the 1755 earthquake, mixing the baroque and mannerist styles.

The ceiling has stucco decorations, while the side chapels mix gilt and 17th-century and 18th-century paintings invoking several saints.

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