Carmo Convent

Located in the center of the city in Chiado, the ruins of the Carmo convent offer a striking legacy of the massive earthquake that nearly wiped Lisbon off the map in 1755. Originally built in 1389, the Convent of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was destroyed by the magnitude 9 earthquake; the Gothic complex’s roof caved in, leaving only its pillars and arches. Most of the city was eventually rebuilt (with seismically robust edifices, of course), but this site — which was the largest church in the capital at the time of the tragedy — was purposefully left roofless as a reminder of the natural disaster. Today, in addition to the remains of the nave open to the sky, you can visit the Carmo Archaeological Museum with a collection of tombs (including King Ferdinand I’s), 13th-century coins, South American mummies, and other archeological bits and bobs.