Igreja de São Roque

Lonely Planet review

The 16th-century Jesuit Igreja de São Roque has a plain façade, designed by the architect of São Vicente, hiding a dazzling interior of gold, marble and Florentine azulejos - an elaborate canvas bankrolled by Brazilian riches.

Most spectacular is the Capela de São João Baptista, to the left of the altar, a stylistic tussle between classical austerity and decorative hysteria. Commissioned in 1742 by Portugal's most extravagant king, Dom João V, this chapel was designed and built in Rome over eight years, using the most expensive materials possible including amethyst, alabaster, agate, jade, lapis lazuli and Carrara marble. The four mosaics representing events from the saint's life are as elaborate as oil paintings. After its consecration by Pope Benedict XIV, the chapel was dismantled and shipped across to Lisbon for the staggering sum of UK£225,000.