Page 27 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Lisbon

the hist or y of L is B o N  25

Reactions to the Disaster
The earthquake had a profound effect on European thought.
Eyewitness accounts appeared in the papers, many written
by foreigners living in Lisbon. A heated debate developed
over whether the earthquake was a
natural phenomenon or divine wrath.
Pre-earthquake Lisbon had been a
flourishing city, famed for its wealth –
also for its Inquisition and idolatry.
Interpreting the quake as punishment,
preachers prophesied further
catastrophes. Famous literary figures
debated the significance of the event,
among them the French writer Voltaire,
who wrote a poem about the disaster,
propounding his views that evil exists
The ancient castle
walls succumbed to and man is weak and powerless, doomed
the reverberating French author Voltaire to an unhappy fate on earth.
shock waves.
Flames erupted as the
candles lit for All Saints’
Day ignited the city’s
churches. The fire raged
for seven days.
Some of Lisbon’s finest
buildings were destroyed,
along with gold, jewellery,
priceless furniture, archives,
books and paintings.
Churches, homes and public buildings all
suffered in the disaster. The Royal Opera
At 11am, tidal waves House, here shown in ruins, had only been
rolled into Terreiro do Paço. completed in March the same year.
The Alcântara docks, to
the west, bore the brunt
of the impact.
A Contemporary View of the Earthquake
This anonymous German engraving of 1775 gives a vivid picture of the
scale of the disaster. Many who fled the flames made for the Tagus, but
were washed away in the huge waves which struck the Terreiro do Paço.
The human and material losses were incalculable.

Modern-day Lisbon holds many reminders of
The reconstruction of the centre of Lisbon the earthquake. Pombal’s innovative grid system
took place rapidly. By the end of November the is clearly visible in this aerial view of the Baixa
Marquês de Pombal had devised a strikingly (see pp42–9). The scheme took many years to
modern scheme for a grid of parallel streets complete, and the triumphal arch that spans Rua
running from the waterfront to Rossio. The Augusta was not finished until over a century
new buildings are shown in yellow. later, in 1873.

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