Welcome to my 19th #monomad challenge entry!
Today I´m gonna share with you one very icon plaza from my beautiful Lisbon city!
Two weeks ago, I went to dinner with 4 friends from work. One of them isn't working in the same place has we all three, so I arranged to meet him in Praça do Comércio. The name is related to the main purpose of this sunny and bright square. Formerly known as Terreiro do Paço, is a square in downtown Lisbon located next to the Tagus River, in the area that was the site of the palace of the kings of Portugal for about two centuries and which today it is partially occupied by some government departments. It is one of the largest squares in Europe, with more then 36,000 m² (180m x 200m) and bordered by 79 arches.
On the north side of the square is the Rua Augusta "Triumphal Arch", the entrance to Baixa.
It was for a long time the noble entrance to Lisbon and, on the marble steps of "Cais das Colunas", coming from the river, heads of state and other prominent figures disembarked and were received.
In the center of the square, you can see the equestrian statue of D. José I, erected in 1775 by Joaquim Machado de Castro, the main Portuguese sculptor of the 18th century.
Surprisingly the area served as a car park until the 1990s!!! Today this vast space is used for cultural events and shows.
With all the points of interest that this place has, I focused in the Statue of D. José I. One of the things that I love to capture under the B&W filter is undoubtedly the lios limestone used in the pedestal of this bronze sculpture.
The equestrian statue of King José I is a remarkable sculptural work: it is the first equestrian statue made in Portugal, and the first sculptural monument on public roads dedicated to a living person in Portugal. It was also the first statue of its size to be cast in a single jet, in Portugal, and one of the first to be cast in the world! I didn't knew all of this.
Thank you wikipedia Ahahah