The original hermitage of Saint Roch was built in 1506 by the city inhabitants to host a relic of the saint requested to Venice by King Manuel I, in order to protect the population of Lisbon from the fever. In 1533, the church has been given to the Society of Jesus, which built here, twelve years later, the Professed House and the Church of Saint Roch, the Order’s headquarter in Portugal. The very rich Mannerist and Baroque interior, following a “Jesuit” style, combines marbles, gilded woodcarving, painting, sculpture and tiles. The highlight is the chapel of Saint John the Baptist, with noble stones, metals and mosaics, which was ordered from Rome by King João V. In the wall beside the cross there is the tomb of Father Simão Rodrigues, one of the founders of the Society of Jesus and the first provincial in Portugal. The church and the adjoining museum See more