1-bedroom duplex apartment in the heart of Bairro Alto, one of the city’s most typical neighbourhoods, with its narrow cobbled streets, centuries-old houses and diverse shops. Located in Lisbon’s historic city centre, just a few minutes’ walk from the Chiado district and a few metres from one of the best-known viewpoints, Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara.

This 70 sq m duplex is on the third and top floors of a refurbished building with no lift.

The lower floor has a lounge (20 sq m), a fully-fitted kitchenette (9 sq m), a bathroom (2 sq m) and a balcony (1 sq m).

The upper floor has a bedroom (15 sq m), a bathroom (2 sq m), a storage area (1 sq m) and a terrace (12 sq m).

Features:

– Located in the historic city centre
– Renovated property
– Refurbished building without a lift
– Fully-fitted kitchen with fridge, oven, cooker hood, glass-ceramic hob and washing machine
– Balcony
– Terrace

The civil parish of Misericórdia, which includes the Principe Real area, is the result of the merger of the earlier civil parishes of Encarnação, Mercês, Santa Catarina and São Paulo. The name of the civil parish comes from the presence of the headquarters of Santa Casa da Misericórdia (“Holy House of Mercy”, a Portuguese charity founded in Lisbon in 1498 by Queen Leonor of Portugal) in the São Roque Church and House of professed Priests since 1768.

The area now known as Misericórdia has been home to various religious institutions to help children, convert the Moors and Jews to Christianity and to provide shelter for penitent women over the centuries. When the Jesuits were expelled, the homes of the Society of Jesus were donated to Santa Casa da Misericórdia.

The civil parish and its hills also used to be connected with agricultural production that supplied the city during the Muslim period, mainly growing olives, fruit and cereals. Following the Discoveries, the neighbourhood expanded northwards and its population became more involved in sea-faring activities.

Centuries later the strategic and commercial importance of this “sailors’ district” made it imperative to rebuild it after the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. Despite the destruction, the layout of the streets was not altered but Cais do Sodré was added. It was named after Vicente Sodré, a navigator who was responsible for the first trade and diplomatic contacts with India.

The presence of nobility in the area was also marked by the construction of many palaces such as the Palaces of Cunhal das Bolas, Alvito, Almada Carvalhais, Marquês de Ficalho, Conde de Lumiares, Marquês das Minas, Bichinho de Conta, Ludovice and Condes de Tomar, among others.

The district has also attracted artists and many figures of the city’s cultural and political elite lived in the former and current part of Lisbon covered by the civil parish. These included well-known names such as Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, Manuel Maria Barbosa du Bocage, Almeida Garrett, Alexandre Herculano, Camilo Castelo Branco, Ramalho Ortigão, Gonçalves Crespo, Albel Manta and António Quadros.

In the 19th century, the district continued to attract artists and intellectuals, who frequented its theatres and cafes. The press also set up shop here, occupying vacant palaces. Newspapers such as Diário de Notícias, Revolução de Lisboa, Mundo and Século enlivened the district’s night life, which became more and more accessible with the opening of the new Glória and Bica funicular railways.

The district holds parties, religious festivities and processions but nowadays it also offers more modern urban culture with new stores, art galleries, theatres and so on providing different events that make this civil parish both traditional and ever-changing.

Misericórdia civil parish covers about 1 square kilometre and has around about 13,000 inhabitants.

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