Campo de Santa Clara won our hearts. Also known as Adro de Santa Engrácia, it is a public place in Lisbon, Portugal.
Belonging to the parish of São Vicente (former parish of São Vicente de Fora, between the train station of Lisbon-Santa Apolónia, Santa Engrácia, Graça and Santo Estêvão).
The Campo owes its name to the Poor Clares Monastery built there in 1294 and which was destroyed by the 1755 earthquake).
We can highlight here two of the city's most important temples and tourist attractions, the São Vicente de Fora Monastery and the National Pantheon. Both, postcard of Lisbon.
It is also here that, since 1882, the Feira da Ladra has been organized weekly, on Tuesday and Saturday mornings.
Mural
It's amazing to walk around Lisbon. Beautiful surprises like this at each site! Literally be amazed by Lisbon…
What do you know about this incredible mural with 52,738 hand-painted tiles by the artist André Saraiva?! With 1,080 m² and 188 meters in length, the colorful and contrasting elements of the mural highlight the aesthetics employed by the artist. The ceramic elements were produced by the Portuguese industry Viúva Lamego through artisanal production techniques, under the direction of the artist himself.
In this panoramic mural, he represents Lisbon's past and present mixed with references from his favorite cities in the world. Which makes the mural even more amazing, right?! There is no way to go through it and not register! Among the city icons shown on the mural are the Castle of S. Jorge, the Padrão dos Descobrimentos, the 25 de Abril bridge, the Elevador de Sta. Justa and the Campo Pequeno bullring. Tell us, which of these places have you been to? Believe me, even though I have passed the Santa Justa Elevator several times, I never climbed it. There are always lines so long, I give up!
The Portuguese artist, also known as André, Monsieur A. or Monsieur André, is the author of a large number of works recognized in several museums and contemporary art galleries around the world.
And who is André Saraiva?!
André Saraiva was born on July 2, 1971 in Uppsala, Sweden, where his Portuguese parents fled from Salazar's military regime. Despite being born in Sweden, he has Portuguese citizenship. His mother was a translator and his father a painter. André moved to Paris at age 10 and started graffiti art at age thirteen.
As Olivier Zahm describes on Saraiva's website, “On Rua André is known for his graffiti alter ego, the tag Mr. A and for his “Love Graffiti” concept. Mr. A is a funny round face with a huge smile and a wink that follows him everywhere, and is now all over the world – and often in pink! – a color that is practically taboo in the graffiti world, except when it's André's monochromatic style. Love graffiti are labels with people's names commissioned by their loved ones that he makes in pop colors close to where they live, so they can't miss it. (...)”
You can follow him through his Instagram @andresaraiva and follow all of his recent work. He is always present in the story, sharing a little of his daily life.
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