Despite being far from the main tourist routes in Ajuda, the Igreja da Memória is well worth a visit, not only for its elegant architecture, but also for the stories and curiosities that those walls hold.
And these start with its name and the reason for its existence. You may not even know it, but it was built in 1760 by King José I as a way of thanking God for having escaped an attack on this place.
Evil tongues said that it came from the home of a lady of the Court, belonging to the Távoras family, with whom he was having a secret love affair.
It was the Marquis of Pombal who took advantage of the failed regicide and accused the five members of this family of conspiracy, all of whom were sentenced to death.
Curiously, the Church of Memória, in neoclassical style, was built by the Italian Giovanni Carlo Bibienna and dedicated to Our Lady of Livramento, but ended up being forever associated with the Marquis of Pombal. This is because the tomb of the all-powerful minister of King José I was moved there in 1923.
Address: Largo da Memória (Ajuda)