of the romanesque cathedral only the tower survived
The Diocese of Lamego is one of the oldest on the Peninsula: Bishop Sardinário was already at the Second Council of Braga in 572. The current cathedral began to be built from 1159, under D. Afonso Henriques, over an earlier chapel dedicated to São Sebastião. It was consecrated in 1175 and the work probably completed in 1191. Of the original Romanesque cathedral, only the tower flanking the facade on the south side survives: it's the only visible medieval remnant, with windows of capitals decorated in palmettes.
The rest of the building changed face. The main facade was rebuilt between 1508 and 1515 by master João Lopes, in late Gothic with Manueline touches. The three archivolted portals have been there ever since. The interior was renovated in the 18th century and the vault of the central nave was covered in trompe l'oeil mural painting, with twisted columns and fake balustrades. Look up when you go in.
The cloister is on the side opposite the tower, ordered built in 1524 by Bishop D. Fernando and executed by the mason Duarte Coelho. It's a Gothic transitional Renaissance example, on two floors. Two chapels: that of Santo António, with gilded woodwork and 17th-century images, and that of São Nicolau, completed in 1563, with 18th-century tiles depicting scenes from the saint's life. This is where D. Manuel de Noronha is buried, one of the bishops who most shaped the diocese.
The old Paço dos Bispos, next door, now houses the Museu de Lamego. Leaving the cathedral means heading there: the two visits go together. Above, at the top of the hill, is the Santuário de Nossa Senhora dos Remédios and its stairway.
what you'll find inside
- the 12th-century Romanesque tower, with palmette-capital windows, the only remnant of the original building
- the Manueline facade by master João Lopes, with three archivolted portals
- the central nave vault with 18th-century trompe l'oeil painting
- the Renaissance cloister of 1524, on two floors, with the Chapel of São Nicolau lined with 18th-century tiles
- the choir stalls in pau-preto wood, depicting the Works of Mercy
