Workshop done for VAST2008/Eurographics in Braga, Dec 2 2008, covering Beta Technologies\' work in recreating Lisbon\'s Terreiro do Paço before the earthquake of 1755.

1. City and Spectacle:
a vision of pre-
earthquake Lisbon
VAST 2008 — Braga, Dec. 2008
Workshop: Serious Games in Cultural Heritage

2. Fig.1. Lisbon before and during the 1755 earthquake (18th
century). Engraving. Museu da Cidade (City Museum), Lisbon.

3. The 1755 earthquake
“On Saturday the 1st instant, about half an hour past 9 o’ clock, I
was retired to my room after breakfast, when I perceived the house
begin to shake … as I saw the neighbours about me all running down
stairs, I also made the best of my way… It was darker than the
darkest night I ever saw … occasioned by the clouds of dust from the
falling of houses on all sides. After it cleared up, I ran into a large
square adjoining [the Terreiro do Paço], the palace to the west, the
street I lived in to the north, the river to the south, and the custom
house and warehouses to the east … but being alarmed with a cry
that the sea was coming in, all people crowded forward to run to
the hills, I among the rest, with Mr. Wood and family. We went near
two miles through the streets, climbing over ruins of churches,
houses, &c., stepping over hundreds of dead and dying people,
killed by the falling of buildings; carriages, chaises and mules, lying
all crushed to pieces …” (Letter of a British Merchant to his Brother
- The Gentleman’s Magazine, vol. 25, December 1755).

4. A major earthquake shook Lisbon in the
morning of the 1st November 1755.
Three different shocks reduced most of the city
to ruins.
A great number of people were gathered in
Lisbon’s numerous churches celebrating All
Saints’ Day. The vast number of candles burning
at the time in churches and house chapels were
the main cause of the raging fire that followed
the earthquake.

5. Fig. 2. Rescue of a little girl from Lisbon’s ruins (18th century). Ex-
voto to N.S. da Estrela (Our Lady of Estrela). Museu da Cidade, Lisbon.

6. Lisbon burnt for a whole week. In Lisbon alone
approximately 30,000 people died. Roughly 10% of
the buildings were ruined and two thirds suffered
such destruction that they were unsafe for
habitation.
An important number of the city historical records,
libraries, art and science collections disappeared
under the wreckage and were burnt by the fire.
The earthquake was also felt in other areas of
Portugal and Spain, especially in the south, and in
the north of Africa.

7. Fig. 3. Arrival of King Philip II of Portugal at Terreiro do Paço (in Jun. 29,
1619) — engraving by Hans Shorken in Viage de la Catholica, Madrid, 1622

8. Downtown Lisbon, the large valley extending
between the two main city squares, Terreiro do
Paço (Palace Courtyard) and Rossio, suffered
the most. S. Paulo, the area to the west
alongside the river Tejo (Tagus) was also
severely damaged.

9. Fig. 4. The ruins of the Royal Palace in Terreiro do Paço (18th century).
Museu da Cidade, Lisbon.

10. The Terreiro do Paço (Palace Courtyard) was
completely destroyed vanishing in the flames of
the Royal Palace and all of the other important
adjacent buildings: the New Cathedral
(Patriarcal), the Opera House, the Custom
House, the City Hall and the Tribunal. The Quay
(Cais das Pedras) near the Royal Palace was
engulfed by the tidal waves, killing
approximately a hundred people who were
seeking refuge from the fire.

11. Fig. 5. The Ruins of the New Patriarchal (18th century). A Dutch version of the
illustrations by Paris and Pedegache, engraved by Jacques Philippe Le Bas.

12. The destruction of the Portuguese capital city
made the European press headlines at the
time, not only for its financial repercussions,
but also for the magnitude of the catastrophe.
This occurrence inspired several texts
throughout Europe, namely Voltaire’s Candide,
ou l’Optimisme (1759), having a significant
impact on European thought.

13. Fig. 6. Lisbon in the early 18th century. English Engraving.

14. The lost city
“It is almost impossible to conceive any thing more
magnificent than the appearance this stately city made
at a distance; owing, as we have said before, as well to
its situation on the declivity of several hills, as to the
many grand edifices with which it abounded. The
interior part, however, did by no means correspond
with its external magnificence. The houses of Lisbon
were mostly four, few of them five stories high, and
built of stone. The narrowness, declivity, and
irregularity of some of its streets, and the dirtiness of
others, made it a very disagreeable place of abode to
strangers”. (A Scottish account of Lisbon in 1745;
published in the Scots Magazine, November 1755).

15. Lisbon developed as an amphitheatre erected
along the river Tagus (Tejo), establishing itself
on several hills. From the Castle hill, the city
expanded to the east, but principally to the
west.
During the second half of the fifteenth century,
when the expeditions overseas began to be the
main enterprise of the Portuguese Crown, this
union between the river/sea and the city was
reinforced.

16. Fig. 7. Lisbon in the second half of the 16th century. From the engraving by
Georgius Braunius “Civitates Orbis Terrarum” (1572). Museu da Cidade, Lisbon.

17. After the success of the sea expedition to India
in 1498, the Portuguese king, D.Manuel I (1495 –
1521, born 1469) decided to build a new palace
near the river. The vast field just opposite the
royal palace was also rearranged in order to
receive a number of public buildings: the
Shambles; the Crops warehouse; a number of
shops and the Customs House. From this period
up to 1755, Lisbon’s city centre developed
between two main squares, the Terreiro do
Paço and the Rossio, to the North.

18. Lisbon became a major attraction to the
countryside population as well as to foreign
merchants. From the 16th century, several
foreign tradesmen established themselves in
the city, the British forming the most numerous
colony.
Lisbon expanded very quickly. At the beginning
of the 17th century, the Portuguese capital city
was in the group of the most populated
European cities, with more than 100,000
inhabitants.

19. Fig. 8. Lisbon in the early 18th century. The Royal Palace, the Ribeira das Naus (Shipyard) and
the Corte Real Palace. Engraving by George Balthazar Probst. Museu da Cidade, Lisbon.

20. At the eve of the great earthquake of the 1st
November 1755, Lisbon was thus a
cosmopolitan city, a major European
commercial centre and the political heart of an
empire extending from India to Brazil.
Pictured by foreign residents as a mixture of
abject misery, extreme religious devotion and
baroque opulence and extravagance, the old
Lisbon became a mythical city for 18th century
Europeans and for the Portuguese up until
today.

21. Fig. 9. Lisbon just before the 1755 earthquake (c. 1750). Engraving.
Museu da Cidade, Lisbon.

22. History has argued that the old medieval city
was being modernized by the Crown (King D.
João V – ruled between 1707-1750; b. in 1689)
and the City Council within an ancient-regime
context, with the providential help of Brazil’s
gold and diamonds. Quays were built, streets
opened and enlarged, an aqueduct was built
bringing water to the city, and a number of royal
palaces and churches were erected according to
the roman baroque taste. The royal palace
suffered important refurbishment works and in
April 1755, King D. José (1750 – 1777, b. 1714),
gave an Opera House to the city.

23. Fig. 10. Plan for the rebuilding of Lisbon (1756). Architect: Eugénio dos
Santos e Carvalho. Plan amended by Eugénio dos Santos and Carlos
Mardel (later version). Instituto Geográfico Português, Lisbon.

24. After the earthquake, the minister of King
D. José, Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo
(1699-1782), future Marquis of Pombal, built
an enlightened regular city with the
fundamental assistance of the Portuguese
military engineers. The old city centre with
its particular physical and social character
disappeared.

25. The project

26. ‣ This project aimsthe recreate virtually the
Lisbon ruined by
to
1755 earthquake, using
as tools a thorough historical approach and
Second Life® technology.
‣ Both the architectural scenario and the
sounds of the urban daily life will be
recreated. Some of the opera music
performed in the old Opera House will be also
included.
‣ Short texts will provide the required historical
context.

27. ‣ This is an interactive project, which will offer to
the public virtual guided tours.
‣ It will be available online until its completion, as a
work in progress platform, welcoming contributions
from other national and foreign researchers.
‣ Conceptually, this is a project that combines
interpretation, in its historical sense, with quot;state of
the artquot; technology in order to allow a visualization
of a memory. Materially, it can represent a
significant educational and recreational
instrument.

28. “Virtual archeology”
‣ “[...] the use of 3D computer models of ancient
buildings and artefacts” (Towards a virtual
archaeology, Paul Reilly, 1990)
‣ “Especially interesting are the design of interactive
systems, where users can become immersed into a
virtual world.” (The Diversity of Archaeological
Virtual Worlds, Barceló, Forte & Sanders, 2000)
‣ Second Life is being currently used for several large-
scale virtual archeology projects due to its
widespread use and employment by universities and
the relative low cost of modelling and 3D content
hosting (ex. Theatron 3 Project by KVL)

29. Second Life® - Technology
‣ 3D virtual world available to the public; currently
with 16 million registered users
‣ Tens of thousands users can be online
simultaneously (each with their own avatar)
‣ Free access (though 3D content hosting has a cost)
‣ Persistent content (client-server architecture)
‣ Collaborative environment
‣ Free open source 3D viewer includes modelling
tools (textures have to be uploaded)

30. Modelling in Second Life
‣ No external 3D models and (except for is
textures) —
tools required
programming
done using the free Second Life viewer
‣ Interactiveandchanges happen immediately, in
real time,
—
all users see them at the same
time
‣ Collaborative — several users can build models
together simultaneously

31. Building tool showing texture selection

32. Users build together interacting with avatars

33. Building tool showing grid alignments, naming

34. Individual items can be linked (grouped) together

35. Building tool showing precise measurements

36. Colour and face properties are being set

37. Texture upload and selection

38. Phases
Given the project’s dimension, it will be
carried out in several phases. The first one,
presented today, will be recreation of the old
Royal Palace, according to an anonymous
account published by Camilo Castello Branco,
Noites de Insomnina offerecidas a quem não
pode dormir. N. 8. Porto-Braga, 1874, pp.
28-34. Iconographic sources were used as
essential visual information.

39. The Royal Palace
A brief chronology:
‣ Built at the beginning of the 16th century, by
King D. Manuel I (b. 1469 - d. 1521)
‣ Suffered major works at the beginning of the
17th century, after the union between the
Crowns of Spain and Portugal (1580). King Philip
II of Spain (I of Portugal), b. 1527 – d. 1598,
replaced the old fortification, by an imposing
tower (1584), and refurbished the Queen’s
apartments and the Royal Chapel

40. ‣ The ItalianTower (known as Terzi Tower, –from
the
Royal
architect Filippo Terzi, 1520 1597;
although its plan was probably the work of the
Spanish architect Juan Herrera, 1530 – 1597)
represented, thereafter, a symbol of the royal
palace in Terreiro do Paço. From the old
palace, survived the north end of the
ensemble.
‣ Some refurbishment works by King D. João IV
(b. 1604 — d. 1656);

41. The Joanine project (King D. João V – b. 1707 –
d. 1750)
‣ Refurbishment ofapartments and the
and the Prince’s
the Queen’s apartments
building of the New Clock Tower, by the
Italian architect Antonio Canevari
(1681-1751). Works between 1707 and 1728.

42. ‣ Works in the Royal Chapel
‣ Refurbishment of the Princesses’ apartments
(the King’s grand-daughters), completed in
1749, probably by Johann Friedrich Ludwig
(1670 - 1752)
‣ The New Patriarchal (began in 1740), by
Johann Friedrich Ludwig

43. The Royal Palace in Terreiro do Paço - Aerial view

44. Terreiro do Paço: The Royal Palace with the Terzi Tower
(eastern façade). View of the Clock Tower.

45. View of the ensemble from the west

46. Inside the Royal Palace Garden: The Clock Tower

47. Royal Palace interior yards

48. The Patriarcal Square seen from the north

49. The Patriarcal Square looking towards the Opera House

50. Capela Street (West End)

51. Capela Street (West End)

52. Capela Street (West End), view of the Opera House’s north façade

53. View of the Capela Street towards the entrance in
Terreiro do Paço

54. The Capela Street near the entrance

55. The Capela Street (East End)

56. The Capela Street (East End)

57. Terreiro do Paço (Palace Courtyard)

58. The Royal Palace view from north and detail of the wall facing the Tejo

59. Terreiro do Paço: the Manueline Palace

60. Terreiro do Paço: detail of the north buildings

61. The Royal Palace: Inward Manueline Courtyard

62. The Royal Palace: Inward Manueline Courtyard

63. The Royal Palace: Inward Manueline Courtyard

64. The Opera House
‣ Located near Lisbon's main square, the Terreiro do
Paço (Palace Courtyard), the Opera House, designed
by the Italian architect Giovanni Carlo Bibiena
(1717-1760), opened to the public in April 1755 only
to be destroyed by the earthquake 7 months later
‣ For its architectural character and short lived
existence, somehow epitomises the baroque
transformation of Lisbon's city centre

65. ‣ Unfortunately, there are few sources of information
for the study of this building. Only part of the plans
and one of the elevations survived.
‣ Therefore, it was used as working material Bibiena’s
plans for other European opera houses.
‣ The stage designs are the actual ones made by
Bibiena for the Lisbon Opera House.

66. Fig. 11. The Ruins of Opera House (18th century). An English version of the
illustrations by Paris and Pedegache, engraved by Jacques Philippe Le Bas.

67. Opera House Foyer
The foyer had impressive elements, with two
entries, one towards the river (facing the
south), and one to the north, where today runs
the Arsenal Street.

68. Foyer

69. Foyer

70. Foyer with stairway to the main room

71. Opera House Main Room
The main room was not very large, although it
was quite high. Descriptions at the time tell us
that the decoration — marbles, giltwork, and
exotic woods — were so luxurious that the
audience, during the performance, was often
distracted by them.

72. Main room — view of the stage

73. Main room — view of the boxes

74. View of the ceiling

75. View from above

76. Opera House Stage
‣ The stage, of huge proportions, was larger than
the main room, allowing exuberant productions
that even included cavalry companies
‣ We present the scenario designed by G. Bibiena
for the première of the opera Allessandro
nell’India by David Perez

77. View of the stage

78. Detail of the stage

79. Opera House Exteriors
Our proposal is an adaptation (since the
buildings are so different) of the designs by
Bibiena for the theatres of Nancy and Vienna,
namely with regard to the north and main
entrances.

80. The Royal Opera House

81. The Royal Opera House

82. The Royal Palace Garden, seen from the Opera House

83. The Royal Palace Garden and the Clock Tower

84. The Royal Palace Gardens. The Opera House at the left-hand side.

85. The Royal Palace Gardens. A view of the Terzi Tower.

86. The Royal Palace in Terreiro do Paço

87. Terreiro do Paço by Dirk Stoop, c. 1662. Museu da Cidade,

88. Credits
Scientific coordination
Alexandra Gago da Câmara
Helena Murteira
Technical coordination and production
Beta Technologies
Consultant (audio sources)
Octávio dos Santos
Music
Música para D. João VI e D. Carlota
Mário Marques Trilha & Isabel Alcobia
Numérica Produções

89. Acknowledgments
Sponsor
Centro de História de Arte e Investigação Artística
(CHAIA)
Universidade de Évora