Sé Nova de Coimbra (New Cathedral of Coimbra), Coimbra

In 1772 the episcopal seat was moved from the Old Cathedral of Coimbra to the empty, roomier and and more modern New Cathedral of Coimbra. Built in 1541 and completed in the 17th century, the New Cathedral had been the Jesuit Headquarter of Coimbra. But in 1759 the Jesuits had been evicted from Portugal by the 1st Marquis of Pombal.

Pombal was Chief Minister of King Joseph I. He had banned the Jesuits for their possible involvement in the attempted assassination of the King. He was a liberal reformer who effectively ruled Portugal during the reign of Joseph I.

The basic style of the cathedral is Baroque in the upper part of the facade and Mannerist in the lower part. Niches of the facade hold statues of four Jesuit saints. They were the only Jesuits not evicted by Pombal. There are two bell towers immediately behind the facade and a dome atop the transept.

The inside of the cathedral has barrel vaults, a nave with chapels and a dome and cupola. There are enormous gilded wood altarpieces from the 17th century in the arms of the transept and the main chapel. The side chapel altarpieces are Mannerist and Baroque.

Choir stalls in the main chapel and the carved baptismal font were taken from the Old Cathedral. The carvings were made in the 16th century Gothic-Manueline style by Pero and Felipe Henriques.