Praça Luís de Camões
Lisbon
Praça Luís de Camões, in the lively Chiado district, is dedicated to the national poet of Portugal. His monument was unveiled on 9 October 1867.
The national poet
Luís de Camões lived in the 1500s and is seen as the greatest poet of the Portuguese language. He was also a soldier and travelled for many years in Africa and Asia.
His poem tells of the Portuguese voyages by sea, and above all the voyage of Vasco da Gama to India.
The monument
The poet's bronze statue is by the sculptor Vítor Bastos. It stands on a stone pedestal 7.5 metres high.
Around it are eight smaller stone statues. They honour famous Portuguese figures from the centuries of the great sea voyages.
The square
It used to be called Loreto square. It took the poet's name just when the statue was placed here.
Today it is a crossroads between the Chiado and the Bairro Alto, two very lively districts. Trams pass through here, and around the square there are cafés, shops and theatres.
A celebration for the poet
Every year Portugal remembers Camões with a national holiday, on the day the poet died. It is also the day of Portuguese communities around the world.
In the past the monument also celebrated the Portuguese empire.
