Estaus Palace, a significant historical monument was built around 1450 in the famous Rossio Square of Lisbon. It served as one of the headquarters of the Portuguese Inquisition. It was popularly referred to as the 'Inquisition Palace'. Though the Estaus Palace of Lisbon survived the disastrous earthquake of 1755, in the year 1836 it was engulfed by fire.
The original building of the Estaus Palace was built around 1450. Situated on the north side of the Rossio Square, the huge building provided accommodation to important foreign diplomats and eminent dignitaries from different countries who visited Portugal. During that period the Portugal maritime industry had flourished in leaps and bounds.
It was during the reign of King John III that the palace was turned into a seat of Inquisition. A prison was established inside the palace where trials of people,
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who secretly adhered to the Jewish faith and practiced witchcraft, were tried and punished. During the reign of King John III the Rossio Square and the St. Domingos square were frequently used for public execution. Poet Manual Maria Barbosa du Bocage, dramatist Antonio Jose da Silva and historian Damio de Gois were prosecuted and held in the prison of Inquisition Palace.
Inquisition in Portugal was abolished in 1821. The palace was rebuilt in 1842 by Teatro Nacional D. Maria II. Italian architect Forunato Lodi redesigned the palace on Neoclassical lines. Today, the Estaus Palace is no more, in its place there is a theater with the statue of the famous Portuguese playwright Gil Vicente.
Estaus Palace in Lisbon is an important monument, which is no longer there, but its significance still lingers in the history of Lisbon.
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