The Assembly of the Republic is the Portuguese parliament, which is housed in a historical building, Palácio de Sao Bento. It was originally the site of an old Benedictine monastery, which was later converted into a parliament. The complex also houses the official residence of the prime minister.
History of Assembly of the Republic
The Palácio de Sao Bento was constructed in the year 1598 under the guidance of the architect Balthasar Alvares. The Benedictine order was dissolved in 1834, which led to the transformation of the Sao Bento monastery into parliament buildings. After the fire of 1895, the structure received its present Neo-Classical appearance. The building was reconstructed till the 1940s as per the designs of the architect Ventura Terra.
Interiors of Assembly of the Republic
The magnificent white building is also known as Palácio da Assembleia Nacional or Palácio da República. The interior of the Assembly of the Republic
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is attractively decorated with white and pink marble floor and pillars. The exquisite statues and wall paintings add to the decorative details of the interiors.
The semi-circular senate rooms of the parliament with its majestic Corinthian pillars are worth visiting. Both in the senate rooms and the chamber there are designated areas where common people can sit. There are seven pillars in the chamber, which symbolize law, justice, eloquence and other parameters. The stately hall opposite the chamber is known as "Passos Perdidos" (Lost Steps), which is adorned with paintings by Columbano Bordalo Pinheiro. Numerous paintings by Domingos Rebelo, which date back to 1944, can be seen. These paintings portray different scenes from the age of discovery and conquest. The two bells of the monastery are placed in the ground floor, which reminds us of the origins of the building.
The Assembly of the Republic is open to the visitors only by appointment. Reaching Assembly of the Republic is very easy as transit trams 28 and 28B and buses 6 and 49 ply to the site. The Assembly of the Republic is one of the major attractions of the capital city of Lisbon as it is the parliament of Portugal.
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