Church of Santa Engrácia

Igreja de Santa Engrácia Panteão Nacional
Main façade of the pantheon
Basic information
Location	Campo de Santa Clara, 1100-365 Lisboa, Portugal
Affiliation	Roman Catholic
Rite	Latin Rite
Municipality	Lisbon
District	Lisbon District
Region	Lisboa Region
Architectural description
Architectural style	Baroque
Groundbreaking	1681 (1681)
Completed	1966 (1966)

The Church of Santa Engrácia (Portuguese: Igreja de Santa Engrácia, pronounced: [iˈɣɾeʒɐ ðɨ ˈsɐ̃tɐ ẽˈɡɾasiɐ]) is a 17th-century monument in Lisbon, Portugal. Originally a church, in the 20th century it was converted into the National Pantheon (Panteão Nacional, pronounced: [pɐ̃tiˈɐ̃w̃ nɐsiuˈnaɫ]), in which important Portuguese personalities are buried. It is located in the Alfama neighborhood, close to another important Lisbon monument, the Monastery of São Vicente de Fora.

The current building of the Church of Santa Engrácia substituted previous churches dedicated to a martyr of the city of Braga, Saint Engrácia. The first church dedicated to the Saint was sponsored by Infanta Maria of Portugal, Duchess of Viseu, daughter of King Manuel I, around 1568. In 1681, construction of the current church began after previous structures collapsed. The design was the work of João Antunes, royal architect and one of the most important baroque architects of Portugal.

Construction proceeded from 1682 through 1712, when the architect died. King John V lost interest in the project, concentrating his resources in the gigantic Convent of Mafra. The church was not completed until the 20th century, so that Obras de Santa Engrácia (literally Saint Engrácia's works) has become a Portuguese synonym for an endless construction project. A dome was added, and the church was reinaugurated in 1966.