João Antunes (1642–1712) was a Portuguese architect and

master mason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

, considered to be one of the most important architects of

Baroque architecture Baroque architecture is a highly decorative and theatrical style which appeared in Italy in the late 16th century and gradually spread across Europe. It was originally introduced by the Catholic Church, particularly by the Jesuits, as a means to ...

. Antunes served as royal architect during the reign of King

Pedro II of Portugal ''Dom (title), Dom'' Pedro II (Peter II; 26 April 1648 – 9 December 1706), nicknamed the Pacific (''Português:'' O Pacífico) was King of Portugal from 1683 until his death, previously serving as regent for his brother Afonso VI of Portugal, ...

and is responsible for a number of famous landmarks in

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

, such as the National Pantheon at Santa Engrácia, and the tomb of Saint Joana, Princess of Portugal.

Biography

João Antunes was born in

Braga Braga (; ) is a cities of Portugal, city and a Municipalities of Portugal, municipality, capital of the northwestern Portugal, Portuguese Braga (district), district of Braga and of the historical and cultural Minho Province. Braga Municipality ...

, in the province of

Minho Minho or Miño may refer to: People * Miño (surname) * Choi Min-ho, South Korean singer and actor known mononymously as Minho Places * Minho (river) or Miño, in Portugal and Spain Jamaica * Rio Minho, a river Portugal * Minho Province ...

, and, presumably, received some sort of education while restoring the

Ribeira Palace Ribeira Palace (; ) was the main residence of the Kings of Portugal, in Lisbon, for around 250 years. Its construction was ordered by King Manuel I of Portugal when he found the Royal Alcáçova of São Jorge unsuitable. The palace complex underw ...

during the

Philippine Dynasty The Philippine dynasty (), also known as the House of Habsburg in Portugal, was the third royal house of Portugal. It was named after the three Habsburg Spanish kings, all named Philip (; , ), who ruled Portugal between 1581 and 1640 under th ...

. Antunes was appointed royal architect (''arquitecto Real'') in 1699. His main work is the

Church of Santa Engrácia The Church of Santa Engrácia (, ) is a 17th-century monument in Lisbon, Portugal. Originally a church, it was converted into the National Pantheon (''Panteão Nacional'', ), in which important Portuguese personalities are buried. It is located ...

(started 1682) in

, a

Greek cross The Christian cross, with or without a figure of Jesus, Christ included, is the main religious symbol of Christianity. A cross with a figure of Christ affixed to it is termed a crucifix and the figure is often referred to as the ''corpus'' (La ...

building with curved façades typical of the Baroque architecture of Borromini. Antunes was also responsible for the projects for the Church of Saint Elói (built after 1694, destroyed in the

1755 Lisbon earthquake The 1755 Lisbon earthquake, also known as the Great Lisbon earthquake, impacted Portugal, the Iberian Peninsula, and Northwest Africa on the morning of Saturday, 1 November, All Saints' Day, Feast of All Saints, at around 09:40 local time. In ...

) and the Church of Menino Deus (1711–1737), both in Lisbon. These churches had the shape of a rectangle with angled edges, thus assuming the shape of an irregular

octagon In geometry, an octagon () is an eight-sided polygon or 8-gon. A '' regular octagon'' has Schläfli symbol and can also be constructed as a quasiregular truncated square, t, which alternates two types of edges. A truncated octagon, t is a ...

. This

floorplan In architecture and building engineering, a floor plan is a technical drawing to Scale (ratio), scale, showing a view from above, of the relationships between rooms, spaces, traffic patterns, and other physical features at one level of a struct ...

scheme, possibly derived from designs by

Guarino Guarini Camillo Guarino Guarini (17 January 16246 March 1683) was an Italian architect of the Piedmontese Baroque architecture, Baroque, active in Turin as well as Sicily, Kingdom of France, France and Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal. He was a Theatines, ...

, would greatly influence other churches in Portugal and

colonial Brazil Colonial Brazil (), sometimes referred to as Portuguese America, comprises the period from 1500, with the Discovery of Brazil, arrival of the Portuguese, until 1815, when Brazil was elevated to a United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves ...

. All of these churches were decorated with marble panels of

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

influence, anticipating the dominant role that Roman art would have in the Portuguese court during the 18th century. Antunes was also responsible for the Church of Bom Jesus of Barcelos, started in 1704. The innovative floorplan of this church consists of a Greek cross church (an influence of Santa Engrácia) inserted into a hexagon with four sides of round shape. Another work by Antunes in northern Portugal was the renovation of the sacristy of

Braga Cathedral The Cathedral of Braga () is a Roman Catholic church architecture, church in the northern city of Braga, Portugal. Due to its long history and artistic significance, it is also one of the most important buildings in the country. It is the seat of ...

. João Antunes also designed several Baroque altarpieces for the private chapels of the nobility and churches like the Santo Antão Church in Lisbon and the Chapel of Saint Vincent in

Lisbon Cathedral The Cathedral of Saint Mary Major ( or ''Sé-Catedral Metropolitana Patriarcal de Santa Maria Maior de Lisboa''), often called Lisbon Cathedral or simply the Sé ('), is a Roman Catholic cathedral located in Lisbon, Portugal. It is the oldest ch ...

(the latter was lost in the 1755 earthquake). Another notable work is the large tomb constructed for Princess Joana in the Convent of Jesus in Aveiro. The tomb consists of a large central chest with cherubs supporting the royal arms at the top. All of these works were made of polychromed marble of Italian influence.

Gallery

File:Igreja de Santa Engrácia Lissabon September 2014.jpg , National Pantheon at Santa Engrácia File:Panteão Nacional 004.jpg , Natitional Pantheon at Santa Engrácia File:Igreja do Menino Deus.jpg ,

Igreja do Menino Deus "Igreja" ("Church") is a single by Brazilian rock band Titãs, released in 1986, as part of their ''Cabeça Dinossauro'' album. Lyrics and composition According to songwriter and then bassist and vocalist Nando Reis, the song was written on the ...

(Lisboa) File:Church Menino Deus - Lisbon Portugal.jpg ,

(Lisboa) File:Igreja do Senhor da Cruz Barcelos (9590196288).jpg , Fachada da Igreja do Bom Jesus da Cruz, Barcelos File:Túmulo de Santa Joana.jpg , Mosteiro de Jesus, Aveiro File:Aveiro March 2012-24.jpg , Tomb of Princess Saint Joana of Portugal (Aveiro)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Antunes, Joao 1642 births 1712 deaths Portuguese architects People from Braga