On the morning of Saturday, the 1st of November 1755, Lisbon was struck by an earthquake that lasted for about six minutes and was recently estimated to had a magnitude between 8,5 and 9 on the Richter Magnitude Scale. Lisbon´s downtown was one of the most affected areas. The quake triggered a tsunami and afterwards flames erupted causing a fire that lasted for several days. Lisbon was devastated.

Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo (the Marquis of Pombal) which was at the time the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and War assumed the responsibility of Lisbon’s reconstruction; the urban structure was then based on an axis connecting two large squares: “Rossio” and “Terreiro do Paço” (the present-day Praça do Comércio). Stands out the innovative character of this reconstruction, namely the architectural standardization, the use of prefabricated elements, the imposition of the measure as a defining element of urbanism, the systematic use of wooden pillars on the foundations, the structure in “bird cage “, the roofs with” Firewall “, the sewer network and the collection and conduction of water.

Curious element of the collective imaginary, the small ceramic images of Santo António, common in the archaeological record of the city, decapitated and without Jesus and scriptures. The statues were dropped in wells as a tradition, probably related to the popular religiosity of Lisbon.