Campo dos Mártires da Pátria

Let's take a tour!

When we first arrived in Portugal, I started taking long rambles in the morning with Josie. I got lost a few times, so some walks were longer than intended¹. They were a glorious way to learn about and marvel at our new home.

During one of them, Josie and I stumbled onto a rather fabulous park. At the time, I took a picture of the wonderful cobblestone art.

Flash forward seven months, and we were looking to buy an apartment. The first place we looked at was it - yes, we know how lucky we are. But our realtor was the one who knew exactly what we wanted. After the viewing, we took a walk around the neighborhood, and to my great surprise the first park we came to was the same one Josie and I had discovered. It’s now one of our standard walks.

The middle third of the park

Just don’t ask me what its name is! When you zoom in on google maps, you’ll find: Jardim Braancamp Freire, Parque Canino, Jardim botanique, and Campo dos Mártires da Pátria. But if you ask someone who has lived here a while, they will likely call it Campo de Sant’ana. Or maybe Colina Santana. Less common, but still used, is Colina da Medicina. Historically, it was Campo do Curral. Whew!

Colina means hill. And I can attest every time we head there, it is indeed up on a hill. (From the nearest low point to the park is a 15% grade!²) At least the walk home is down! This hill is one of the famed seven hills of Lisbon.

Called Sant’ana, this area is one of the only parts of Lisbon not destroyed by the famous 1755 earthquake. Not being as affected, more people survived uninjured. Since all six of the hospitals of Lisbon were destroyed, they needed a safe place to put a hospital. Fortunately an undamaged, empty building³ was standing ready on this hill. Over the next ~150 years, more hospitals came to the area: a psychiatric hospital, a Faculty of Medicine, the Bacteriological Institute, an Opthamalogic Institute (on our street), and three public hospitals. And thus: Hill of Medicine/Colina da Medicina.

• Campo means field. Once used to corral cows for slaughter, this area was called Campo do Curral.

• Campo de Sant’ana or Field of Santana as from the 13th century until the earthquake there was a convent of that name.

• Campo dos Mártires da Pátria (Field of the Martyrs of the Fatherland) was the name the City of Lisbon foisted⁴ on it in 1879. Back in 1817, General Gomes Freire de Andrade got together some buds and attempted to overthrow the government. Naturally, one of them couldn’t keep his mouth shut, and they were discovered, tried and finally hung on this site.

  

  Translation: On October 18, 1817, they were condemned on this field for defending freedom and the integrity of their country. The heroic comrades of General Gomes Freire de Andrade, whose names are still remembered. (And then a list of their names).

• Jardim Braamcamp Freire is named after Anselmo Braamcamp Freire (no obvious relationship to the rebellious General above), a 19th century politician. The jardim part is hard to understand - there isn’t what I would call a garden there. Landscaping yes. Garden? Hm.

• And a perfect, small dog park, Parque Canino it is.

From a poorhouse in the 14th century, to a 16th century slaughterhouse, to the site of bull fights in the 19th century, a huge vegetable market in the 19th century, and a flea market fair (also in the 19th century!), this space has seen a lot.

It’s what I would call a medium size park. It covers 2.6 hectacres, just shy of 5 football fields. It’s a pointed oval, the length of one football field⁵ across and three football fields long⁶. Within this space we have so much:

Not one, but two ponds:

The aforementioned dog park:

Josie on the left. Most frequently the dog park is empty, which is nice.

A plaza and statue:

The building in the background is NOVA Medical School. Formerly, it was the Lisbon Medical-Surgical School and then Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisboa. The dude on the pedestal is Dr.  José Tomás de Sousa Martin, a doctor in the 1800s who worked often for free, and worked intensely with tuberculosis. He has become something of a lay Saint, and people leave gifts to him in hopes of healing. The black item just to the left of the circle is where you can burn a candle to him.

The ex-votos that have been left. The plaque to the left bottom corner says: Maria Correira Ferreira Rainho Eternal health to his sons, daughters, grandsons, granddaughters, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law and the rest of his family. B. 12-3-1939

A restaurant:

La Villa is basically all glass so whether you sit in or out, the view is lovely. The food is really good too!

A place to play chess:

The folks to the left are using the designated chess tables, with chess board patterns on them.

Gorgeous sidewalks:

Basketball court:

Oh, and birds. Did I mention the birds? The park hosts chickens (and many roosters), Muscovy ducks, Egyptian geese, and, of course, pigeons.

Duck and babies! Plus, a hen and a pigeon

The chicken bench

The geese bench!

Green-Legged Partridge, which are an old breed of chicken from Poland

The water station for all visitors and residents alike.

Dovecote

Thanks for coming on this tour of one of my favorite parks in Lisbon!

That’s all for now.

Love from Lisbon,

Amy

1. Why would I remember to bring my phone with me?

2. Highways are typically kept to no more than a 6% slope.

3. formerly a religious school, the Jesuits had been expelled, leaving the school standing empty.

4. I’ve talked with a couple of native Lisboetas who were surprisingly bitter about the name change.

5. NFL, without end zones

6. NFL, with end zones