What Sé Nova is and why it matters

Sé Nova is Coimbra's co-cathedral, built by the Jesuits, who had been installed in the city since 1541. Construction of the Colégio das Onze Mil Virgens began in 1598, work advanced slowly, and the church was only inaugurated in 1698. In 1772 the bishop's seat moved here from the Romanesque Santa Maria church, the Sé Velha, because this building was considerably more spacious.

That chronology explains the building's character. The Jesuits held the site until 1759, when the Companhia de Jesus was suppressed under the Marquês de Pombal, and the later promotion to cathedral status left a church built to Jesuit architectural conventions rather than a medieval cathedral. Coming from the Sé Velha, the contrast is the point: the single nave here is a different, later, more spacious building.

Where it is and how to get there

The address is Largo Feira dos Estudantes, in the upper part of town beside the university quarter. If you are at the Sé Velha, walk uphill through the old streets towards the university; from the Paço das Escolas, the cathedral courtyard, Sé Nova is a few minutes on foot downhill.

It makes sense to treat the two cathedrals as bookends of the same morning, with the university buildings in between. Our guide to the Sé Velha, Coimbra covers the Romanesque predecessor, and the Coimbra Attractions: 10 Visitor Guides page maps out the rest of the upper town.

Opening hours

Sé Nova is listed as open daily, 09h00 to 18h00, with no weekly closing day given. That is unusually generous for a Portuguese church, but a church that is in active parish use can close for services, so treat the published hours as a guide and confirm before a special trip.

The façade: the Jesuit canon

The front follows Jesuit architectural convention: sober and austere, with none of the carved exuberance of the Manueline or Baroque façades elsewhere in Portugal. The facade reads as a statement of restraint, and the decoration starts inside, at the door.

Inside: the nave, transept and main chapel

The interior has a single nave, which makes the space easy to read in one sweep. The transept and main chapel carry magnificent gilded carved retables built between the 17th and 18th centuries. Stand in the centre of the nave first to take in the whole axis before moving closer to the carving.

The side chapels

The side chapels hold a set of Baroque altars with named dedications, which is the detail most worth stopping for. On the right are altars to Nossa Senhora das Neves, São Tomás de Vilanova and the Santíssimo Sacramento; on the left, Santo António, the Ressurreição and Santo Inácio. Walk both sides rather than only the one facing the entrance.

The main retable and its Jesuit saints

The main retable is built as a series of niches holding the Jesuit saints Inácio de Loyola, Francisco de Borja, Francisco Xavier and Estanislau Kostka. Above or beside them hangs a large painting of the Presépio, the Nativity scene. The choice of saints is a reminder of who built the church and who lost it in 1759.

Two pieces from the Sé Velha

Two details came from the old cathedral. The choir stalls in the main chapel were commissioned by Bishop D. João de Melo in the 17th century in exotic woods and brought over from the Sé Velha. The same is true of the Gothic-Manueline baptismal font, in the chapel to the left of the entrance. Both are easy to overlook on a short visit.

How long to allow

A working parish church of this size does not need a long stop: allow 20 to 30 minutes for the nave, chapels and the two Sé Velha pieces. If you are studying the retable carving, double that and bring the visit into the middle of the day, when the church stays open. The sensible plan is to slot it into a morning built around the university: start at the Paço das Escolas, drop into the Biblioteca Joanina, Coimbra, then finish here.

Nearby sights and the parish contacts

The Universidade de Coimbra complex, including the Torre da Universidade de Coimbra and the Capela de São Miguel, Coimbra, is the obvious next stop, all within a few minutes' walk. The Museu Nacional de Machado de Castro is also in the upper town for anyone with a full day. If you are planning a wider route through the city, our things to do in Coimbra guide covers the lower town as well.

The parish lists its address as Largo Feira dos Estudantes, Coimbra, with telephone 239 823 138 and email senovacoimbra@gmail.com for enquiries. Use those channels for anything time-sensitive, such as a service that might close the church briefly.

Should Sé Nova be on your Coimbra shortlist?

Yes, if you are already in the upper town for the university and the Sé Velha. The daily 09h00 to 18h00 hours make it an easy stop, and the two pieces carried over from the old cathedral give it a story most visitors miss.

Skip it only if carved retables and church interiors leave you cold, or if your day is already full with the university and the Biblioteca Joanina. Otherwise give it half an hour between the two.