Bairro Alto - Geography

Geography

The Bairro Alto district is generally delimited in the south by the Calçada do Combro and Rua do Loreto, west by Rua do Século, north by Rua D. Pedro V and east by Rua da Misericórdia and Rua de São Pedro de Alcântara. It is, topographically, a plateau with medium elevation of76 metres (249 ft) terminating in the north, with accentuated slope towards the south. The soils consist of primarily a mixture of sandstone and grit, with clays.

Although central to Lisbon, it is normally identified by a different urban nuclei. To the south, running contiguous with the Bairro, is Bica, a zone between the Bica and Alecrim Rivers, and the area of Cata-Que-Farás, which developed at the same time as the Bairro Alto, but was completely transformed by the 1755 earthquake. In the east is the Chiado, Misericórdia, Largo da Trindade and São Pedro de Alcântara. A connection that existed between Bairro Alto and Chiado from the 16th century, was the medieval wall, identifiable by the Calçada do Combro, Rua do Loreto and Rua Garrett, which was the principal exit gate to the west, through the gates of Santa Catarina (whose opening was in the Largo do Chiado). Immediately around this is the Praça Luís de Camões and the Largo do Chiado, and specifically the iconic Church of Nossa Senhora do Loreto and the Café A Brasileira. To the north, at the end ofRua da Misericórdia is the Largo Trindade Coelho, where the Church of São Roque and Lisbon Misericórdia are located. From here it is the beginning ofRua de São Pedro de Alcântara characterized by structures in a Romantic architectural style and extending to the north until Rua D. Pedro V, defined by the iconic garden/lookout of São Pedro de Alcântara. And still, the Ascensor of Glória connects to the Praça dos Restauradores and Avenida da Liberidade. To the west, immediately near the frontier defined by Rua do Século and the zone delimited to the south by Rua de São Bento and north by Rua da Escola Politécnica are the Garden of the Prince Royal (Portuguese: Jardim do Príncipe Real), the Academy of Sciences building, the Church of Santa Catarina, the Convento dos Paulistas (Convent of São Paulo) and Palácio Pombal (Palace of Pombal).

Bairro Alto is characterized by orthogonal blocks, sometimes rectangular, with a proportion of two lots wide by six or eight lots in length, with many of the length dimensions accompanying the roads, while the shorter dimensions following the lanes. This spacial configuration is not fixed completely within the district. For example, north of the Travessa da Queimada, the blocks, although maintaining a rectangular form, are of different dimensions, with the laneway-side representing those of longer length. This new orientation reflects the more open area of São Roque, associated with theCasa Professa dos Jesuítas, and marks the transition into the second phase of the Bairro's urbanization. The medium base for these lots are based on the medieval blocks known as chão (literally, ground), an agricultural measure representing a lot with 60 palmos length by 30 palms wide, equivalent to13.2×6.6 metres (43×22 ft). It is this model that guides the blocks where the majority of the 16th and 17th century buildings are located. In a few cases, there are also meio chão configurations, destined for those of the population with less financial resources. Further, there are rare instances in the district where one lot may encompass an entire block, such as the Palace of Andrade and the Palace Ludovice.

During the Pombline era, there was an increase in the number of multiple lots with the standard dimensions The large occupation rate in the 17th and 18th century originated in the changes to the dimensions of these blocks. Many of the buildings were expnded, both in height, in addition to size. It is this form that predominates the Bairro, which is highly dense, somber and where only the upper floors actually receive an exposure to direct sunlight.

The design of the roadways that run through the Bairro Alto, consist of a hierarchy of structural roads, oriented north to south (in the direction of the Tagus River, and secondary lanes, perpendicular to the roads, running east to west. The hierarchy of these routes are homogeneous in scale, with little variation in size in roads or lanes, a characteristic that is missing from the zones adjacent to the Bairro Alto, preserving an intimacy and unique character.

One road, the Rua da Rosa runs through the Bairro from one extreme to the other, dividing the neighborhood in half, and along with the Rua João Pereira da Rosa (old Calçada dos Caetanos), Travessa dos Inglesinhos and Travessa da Queimada, divide the bairro in four distinct zones, reflecting different phases of urbanization.

It is in the zone east of Rua da Rosa that the orthogonal design of the Bairro is more perceptible. The zone west of the neighborhood, which initially represented the periphery of the city, is more heterogenous, and where the majority of the monumental buildings were constructed. Situated on the Travessa dos Inglesinhos and Rua dos Caetanos is the old Convento e Colégio dos Inglesinhos (Convent and College of the English), Convento dos Caetanos(Convent of the Caetanos), home to the National Conservatory, and to the southeast limit, thePalácio Marim-Olhão (Palace Marim-Olhão).