Ribeira Palace
Paço da Ribeira
building in Lisbon, Lisbon District, Portugal
Contents
8 sections · tap a section for its opening lines1Orientation
Welcome to the site of the Pah-soo da Ri-bay-ra, the Ribeira Palace, which for over two hundred and fifty years was the main royal residence and the seat of power for the Portuguese Empire. As you stand here in the massive square…
Listen in the app2The Royal Square — Terreiro do Paço
The space where you are standing was once the Ter-ray-ro do Pah-soo, the Royal Yard or Terrace of the Palace. In the 18th century, this was the stage for the most spectacular ceremonies of the Portuguese court. …
Listen in the app3The Lost Royal Library — A Mountain of Knowledge
One of the greatest tragedies of the 1755 earthquake was the total destruction of the Royal Library housed within the Ribeira Palace. This was not just a collection of books; it was the cultural memory of a nation. …
Listen in the app4Casa da Índia — The Engine of Empire
Connected to the main palace was the Cah-za da In-dyah, the administrative engine that drove the Portuguese Empire. This was where the monopoly over trade with Africa, Asia, and Brazil was enforced. …
Listen in the app5The King's Ambition — John V the Magnanimous
The Ribeira Palace reached its peak of splendor under King John V, a man whose ambition was as vast as his empire. Praised as 'the Magnanimous' and whispered about as the 'Portuguese Sun King,' John V believed that his royal…
Listen in the app6The Day the Earth Moved — November 1, 1755
To stand in this square is to stand at the epicenter of a historical trauma. On the morning of November 1, 1755, as the people of Lisbon were in church for All Saints' Day, the ground beneath them began to shake with a force…
Listen in the app7Pombal's New Vision — Praça do Comércio
In the wake of the 1755 disaster, the task of rebuilding Lisbon fell to the Mar-kwis of Pom-bal, the king’s powerful prime minister. He saw the destruction not just as a tragedy, but as an opportunity to create a modern,…
Listen in the app8Closing
As we conclude our journey at the site of the Ribeira Palace, I hope you carry with you a sense of the magnificent ghost that haunts this square. This was once the center of the world, a place where the riches of three continents…
Listen in the app
What is Ribeira Palace?
Ribeira Palace is a place with 8 story sections on Tellby. You can read the opening of each section on this page; the sound plays in the app.
| Type | Heritage |
|---|---|
| Story sections | 8 |
| Text language | English |
| Coordinates | 38.7075, -9.1365 |
| Last updated |
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within a 5-minute walk
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