Santa Maria Maior, Lisbon Explained

Type:parish
Official Name:Santa Maria Maior
Image Location:Santa Maria Maior (Lisboa) localização.svg
Region:Lisbon
Metro:Lisbon
District:Lisbon
Municipality:Lisbon
Coordinates:38.713°N -9.136°W
Area Total:3.01
Population As Of:2011
Population Total:12822

Santa Maria Maior (pronounced as /pt/) is a freguesia (civil parish) and district of Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. Located in the historic center of Lisbon, Santa Maria Maior is to the west of São Vicente, east of Misericórdia, and south of Arroios and Santo António. It is home to numerous historic monuments, including Lisbon Cathedral, the Rossio, and the Praça do Comércio, as well as famous neighborhoods, such as the Lisbon Baixa, as well as parts of Bairro Alto and Alfama. The population in 2011 was 12,822,[1]

History

The parish was created by the administrative reorganization of Lisbon on 8 December 2012,[2] from the incorporation of other 12 old small parishes: Mártires, Sacramento, São Nicolau, Madalena, Santa Justa, , Santiago, São Cristóvão e São Lourenço, Castelo, Socorro, São Miguel and Santo Estêvão.

The official name of the freguesia comes from Cathedral of Santa Maria Maior, seat of the Patriarchate of Lisbon.

The Baixa was built following the destruction of the 1755 Great Earthquake of Lisbon, under orders of King Joseph I of Portugal's prime minister, Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, 1st Marquis of Pombal, whose architects rebuilt the area in what is known as the Pombaline style.

Landmarks

References

  1. http://www.ine.pt/ngt_server/attachfileu.jsp?look_parentBoui=165404348&att_display=n&att_download=y Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE)
  2. http://dre.pt/pdf1sdip/2012/11/21600/0645406460.pdf Lei n.º 56/2012 (Reorganização administrativa de Lisboa)