São Vicente () is a ''

freguesia (), usually translated as "parish" or "civil parish", is the third-level administrative subdivision of Portugal, as defined by the 1976 Constitution. It is also the designation for local government jurisdictions in the former Portuguese over ...

'' (civil parish) and district of

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 ...

, the capital of

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

. Located in the historic center of Lisbon, São Vicente is to the east of Santa Maria Maior, south of

Arroios Arroios () is a ''freguesia'' (civil parish) and district of Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. Located in central Lisbon, Arroios is north of Santa Maria Maior and São Vicente, east of Santo António, south of Avenidas Novas and Areeiro, and we ...

, and west of

Penha de França Penha de França () is a (civil parish) and typical Quarter (urban subdivision), quarter of Lisbon, the capital city of Portugal. Located in the historic center of Lisbon, Penha de França is north of São Vicente, Lisbon, São Vicente, east of ...

. São Vicente is home to numerous historic neighborhoods, including

Alfama The Alfama () is the oldest neighborhood of Lisbon, spreading on the slope between the São Jorge Castle and the Tagus river. The district includes the ''freguesias'' (parishes) of São Miguel, Santo Estêvão, São Vicente de Fora and part of th ...

. The population in 2021 was 13,956, for a population density of 7,013.1 inhabitants per km² on an area of 1.99 square kilometersInstituto Nacional de Estatística (INE)
Census 2011 results according to the 2013 administrative division of Portugal

History

The parish of

Graça Graça is a municipality in the state of Ceará in the Northeast region of Brazil. See also *Graça (name) *List of municipalities in Ceará Ceará (CE) is a state located in the Northeast Region of Brazil. According to the 2022 census conduc ...

was created in 1569, after the Santo Estêvao de Alfama de-annexation. The parish name was intended to honor the catholic martyr Santa Engracia of Zaragoza, later on the

King Manuel I Manuel I (; 31 May 146913 December 1521), known as the Fortunate (), was King of Portugal from 1495 to 1521. A member of the House of Aviz, Manuel was Duke of Beja and Viseu prior to succeeding his cousin, John II of Portugal, as monarch. Manue ...

daughter, Infanta Maria built a church in the parish to receive a reliquary of the said martyr. After being almost destroyed by a severe storm, the church was rebuilt and eventually received the National Pantheon classification. For reasons unrelated to its founding, namely the residence of Baron Monte Pedral, the parish's name was changed to Monte Pedral on May 1, 1913, only to revert to its original designation on March 24, 1952. This new parish was created on November 8, 2012 in application of a resolution of the Assembly of the Republic of Portugal (2012 Administrative Reform of

), merging the former parishes of

São Vicente de Fora SAO or Sao may refer to: Places * Sao civilisation, in Middle Africa from 6th century BC to 16th century AD * Sao, a town in Boussé Department, Burkina Faso * Serb Autonomous Regions (''Srpska autonomna oblast'', SAO), during the breakup of Y ...

(

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

: ''

Grace Grace may refer to: Places United States * Grace, Idaho, a city * Grace (CTA station), Chicago Transit Authority's Howard Line, Illinois * Little Goose Creek (Kentucky), location of Grace post office * Grace, Carroll County, Missouri, an uni ...

'') and Santa Engrácia. The new administrative configuration was implemented after the local elections of 2013. Miradouro da Senhora do Monte

Demographics

Historical resident population (before the 2012 Administrative Reform)

Starting from the early 2000s, another factor that has greatly contributed to the depopulation of the parish has been

gentrification Gentrification is the process whereby the character of a neighborhood changes through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents (the "gentry") and investment. There is no agreed-upon definition of gentrification. In public discourse, it has ...

caused by mass tourism. In São Vicente around 1,750 apartments are listed as "Alojamento Local", meaning they have the license to be rent on platforms such as

Booking.com Booking.com is one of the largest online travel agencies. It is headquartered in Amsterdam, and is a subsidiary of Booking Holdings. Booking.com provides lodging reservation services for approximately 3.4 million properties, including 475,000 ...

Airbnb Airbnb, Inc. ( , an abbreviation of its original name, "Air Bed and Breakfast") is an American company operating an online marketplace for short-and-long-term homestays, experiences and services in various countries and regions. It acts as a ...

. Moreover, many hotels and other activities catering to tourists have pushed many inhabitants towards other neighbourhoods. According to Ricardo Gonçalves Dias, that the neighborhood is "out of character, as it has lost part of its popular culture" and "The neighborhood and mutual help network that existed has also been lost a little". From 2001 to 2011 the population decreased by further 2,512 people, or by 14.7%.

Current resident population (after the 2012 Administrative Reform)

In the 2021 Portuguese Census was recorded an additional demographic loss for the new parish of São Vicente. In particular, from 2011 to 2021 the parish lost 1,383 people, recording a loss of -9.02%.

Landmarks

* *Bairro Estrela d'Ouro *: Honorable Mention of the Valmor and Municipal Architecture Prize *Calçada da Graça * Feira da Ladra *

Graça Convent Graça Convent () is one of the oldest convents in Lisbon. It is located in Largo da Graça, in the parish of São Vicente (Lisbon), São Vicente, on Lisbon's highest hill. It faces a belvedere overlooking the city and the Tagus River. It belonged ...

(Convento da Graça) *Largo da Graça * * Miradouro Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen *

Monastery of the Mónicas The Monastery of the Mónicas (), located in São Vicente (Lisbon), São Vicente, Lisbon, was a Portugal, Portuguese nunnery dedicated to the mother of Augustine of Hippo, Monica of Hippo, Saint Monica. It later became a prison. History Monaste ...

, also known as Convento das Mónicas *''Museu da Água'', in ''Rua do Alviela'', n.º 12 () * National Pantheon of Santa Engrácia * Nossa Senhora da Porciúncula Church (''Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Porciúncula'', also called Barbadinhos Church) * *Pátio dos Quintalinhos or Villa Rocha (former "Escolas Gerais") *Palácio dos Condes de Figueira * Palha Palace (also called Van Zeller Palace or Pancas Palace) *

Santa Apolónia Station Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or Santa) is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Christma ...

* São Vicente de Fora Monastery and church * Veloso Rebelo Palhares Palace *Vila Berta * building

References

Parishes of Lisbon {{lisbon-geo-stub