
A centuries-old story
The Convent of Nossa Senhora da Graça is one of the most imposing convent complexes in Lisbon. Its origins date back to 1271, the year in which construction began at the location then called Almofala. a convent of Saint Augustine. This invocation was changed to Nossa Senhora da Graça in 1305 or 1362. Due to the deterioration of its structures, the church had to be built again between 1556 and 1565 under the direction of Friar Luís de Montoya, and the church was certainly also built at that time. its superb large cloister designed in Serlian style. Some of its parts stand out in the convent, such as the vast chapter room, completed in 1724; the huge sacristy designed at the beginning of the 18th century; the second cloister, perhaps in the second quarter of the 18th century; the entrance and the bell tower, whose completion could date back to 1738 and was designed by Manuel da Costa Negreiros.
In 1586, this convent became famous for housing Senhor dos Passos, which from the following year began to go out in a famous procession that went from Graça to São Roque. With the earthquake of 1755, the church was destroyed and began to be rebuilt from from 1765 under the direction of Manuel Caetano de Sousa, incorporating a chapel that had been built in 1530 as a baptistry.
After the extinction of male religious orders in 1834, the conventual structures were occupied by the Army, while the church became a parish church in the parishes of Santo André and Santa Marinha. Today, under the organization of the Real Irmandade do Senhor dos Passos da Graça, it continues to go out to tour the parish of Graça every year, since that date, at the same time.