Media Masters Travels To Scenic Lisbon

Every so often, We get the oportunity to visit another country, either for work or for pleasure. Last March, Media Masters was commisioned to videotape a wedding which occured in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. Now under normal circumstances, we only do weddings which take place in Southern Ontario, but when we heard about the locations that the wedding would pass through during the course of the day, any reluctance quickly washed away. The two key locations, the church, and the reception hall were historically important landmarks in Lisbon.

The Church of the Mother of God is one of Lisbon's oldest, and is regarded to be one of the most beautiful in all of Europe. Although very small (less than 10,000 square feet) it is beautifully adorned with gold and houses some of Christianity's only known relics of various saints from the past two thousand years. The church itself is part of a convent, and within the cloister walls one can find the resting place of Queen Elizabeth, one of Portugal's religious matriarchs. Among other graves which line the stone hallways, are mass graves for the last sisters who lived in the convent before the obliteration of Christian practices by decree of the pagan ruler, Marques of Pombal who outlawed the Roman Catholic religion in the 1750's. As both a place of historical importance and great beauty, we were very interested in having the oportunity to work there, especially when one considers that the church is permanantely closed to the public except for a single sunday mass, once a month.

The other location which whet our appetite for visiting the far-away city was the location for this wedding's banquet ceremony. It was held at the Castle of Saint Jorge which sits atop one of the seven hills which make up the geography of the city of Lisbon. The castle is one of the largest in Europe, and is the most historically important in Portuguese history. The castle was the last stop in the conquest of the Portuguese states by King Henry in 1085. The castle predates this period by many, perhaps several hundred years as it was built by the Muslims, and is believed to be over one thousand years old. Due to it's location atop the tallest of the hills and its proximity to the natural harbour formed by the mouth of the Tagus River, the castle was strategically important, and for this reason, the Spanish tried many times to conquer it's walls, alas failing. It's massive battlements surround a large courtyard. Shadows in the walls indicate where ancient rooms once stood, now eroded by time. Outside the castle exists the jailhouse and a large hall, the location of the modern wedding reception. Below you will find a collection of photos from our trip to Lisbon.

Images From Our Visit To Lisbon

Return to Home