The Chapel of Saint John the Baptist of the Church of Saint Roch in Lisbon: the commission, the work, the collections

The collection of the Chapel of Saint John the Baptist, integrated into the Church and Museum of Saint Roch, from the Directorate of Culture of the Santa Casa da Misericórdia of Lisbon, has been classified as a National Treasure. The Portuguese state thus officially recognizes its exceptional value for the history and cultural identity of Portugal.
(December 18, 2025)

The Chapel of Saint John the Baptist of the Church of Saint Roch in Lisbon was entirely made in Rome in the 1740s, transported on three ships, and built in the capital of the Portuguese empire, following a commission from King John V. Following the expulsion of the Society of Jesus, this commission from the “Magnanimous” king, of incalculable value and fortunately spared by the earthquake of 1755, would be delivered to the Misericórdia of Lisbon in 1768 by King Joseph I, along with the Church of Saint Roch. Under the scientific and editorial coordination of Professor Doctor Teresa Leonor M. Vale, the book gathers studies from renowned Portuguese and foreign researchers, specialists in the different artistic areas in which the chapel and its collections are expressed: architecture, sculpture, mosaics, metalwork, goldsmithing, textiles, lace, furniture, books. Of enormous relevance in historical, cultural, and artistic terms – both nationally and internationally – the chapel is here the subject of the most comprehensive study ever conducted on its history and heritage, exhaustively addressing the process of the commission, its work, and its collections.

Authors: Teresa Leonor M. Vale (coord.); António Filipe Pimentel; Carlo Stefano Salerno; Cristina Pinto Basto; Maria de Fátima Rezende Gomes; Magda Tassinari; Marialuisa Rizzini

Year of publication: 2015
Publisher: SCML, Museum of Saint Roch |
National Press-Mint
ISBN: 9789722723541