commanding cupola of the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (SS. Coraçao de Jesus), commonly known as the Estrella. D. Maria I, the unfortunate Queen whose vain efforts to unite her intense religious views with the politics of her reign ended in partial dementia, erected this church in fulfilment of a vow made before the birth of her eldest son, the long-desired heir to the throne. The royal consort, D. Pedro III, laid the first stone in 1779; the building was not completed until 1796. Money was expended on it that is said to have been destined by the ex-minister, Marquis de Pombal for making a monumental bridge spanning the Tagus between Lisbon and Almada, a project that several clever engineers have again put seriously forward during the last twenty years. The interior is rich in marbles, and the sculptured figures on the façade display, as usual, the skill of the Portuguese stone chiseller, in this instance the well-known Machado de Castro. Connoisseurs in architecture, however, from Murphy downwards, question the constructive methods of the architects.
The Largo da Estrella is always teeming with light, colour and life. Many electricos have their terminus before the church, a military hospital stands at one side, the gates of the Estrella Gardens are exactly opposite. These are, perhaps, the best laid out and most beautiful gardens in the whole city. A French gardener—certainly an artist too—planned and carried out the scheme of broad avenues, and winding walks, flower parterres, artificial lakes. In spring no lovelier spot is to be seen in Lisbon, and here the Judas trees flourish to perfection in groups, singly or in whole avenues, their beauty of colour in strong relief against the early foliage and evergreen exotics. This tree met with so often in Lisbon bears the name of olaia in Portuguese, and a prettier name in English than Judas is
71
