History of the Building
The foundation of the city of Lisbon dates back to the Iron Age, when the site had already been inhabited systematically. Given the excellent natural conditions and its geographical location, this would have an intense and successive occupation following Roman rule.
The 7 Hotel is situated in “Baixa Pombalina” – the prime location of Lisbon, as portrays the various archeological remains that bear witness to the Roman occupation, in particular the so called Roman Galleries, existing under the current Rua da Conceição and Rua da Prata which, are known today as «criptopórticos», meaning that these are vaulted constructions employed frequently by the Romans, in unstable soil or irregular topography, to create a support platform for other constructions, usually public kind.
The orthogonal geometric design that characterizes “Baixa Pombalina” only comes after the violent earthquake in Lisbon on November 1st, 1755, with the initiative of Marquês de Pombal, minister of King José, and the key roles of some military architects and engineers – Manuel da Maia, Eugénio dos Santos and Carlos Mardel. Following an Illuminist model, Marquês de Pombal carried out one of the most audacious urban proposals of Europe at the time, the prioritization of pathways defined according to the two most emblematic squares of the city: Rossio, a community centre, and Praça do Comércio (formerly called Terreiro do Paço), a political and economic centre.
Until then, and the centuries preceding the earthquake of Lisbon (1755), this site had been developing over a wide and disorganized bundle of homes, small factories and a tangle of streets and alleys. (Source: Museu da Cidade website)
During the building’s renovation it was possible to find some artifacts that testify the crossing of past populations, therefore It is with great pleasure that we exhibit some of these pieces which can be observed during your stay at the The 7 Hotel.
Another curiosity – before this building was The 7 Hotel, you could find Relojoaria Cayres – a watch-house launched in the first half of the past century.
