If there is a decorative element that you will see in many places when you travel to Portugal, it is undoubtedly the tile , which you can find both inside and outside churches, palaces, houses, train or metro stations and a lot of more places, especially in public places. They are a very important element in Portuguese architecture so practically at every step you can see a building with them.
Given the importance that tiles have throughout the country, they have even made them a museum in Lisbon. It is the National Tile Museum , which is in the Convento da Madre de Deus and which is very famous not only for its content but also for the incredible, and unique, mix of 17th century architecture and 18th century baroque ornaments.
In this particular museum you can find more than 7,000 pieces of tiles , one of the most important collections in the world, as well as various ceramics, tools and various images that have to do with the theme of the museum. A very complete exhibition that is worth visiting if you are going to be in Lisbon.
In addition, while you visit the museum you can tour the entire convent , visiting the church, the cloister and the choir, so not only is it a good opportunity to discover the world of tiles, but architecturally speaking it is a very interesting space. The chapel is very large and has a lot of paintings framed in gold .
The entrance costs only € 3 and it costs half for young people up to 25 years old (those under 14 do not pay) and also for the elderly. It is open from Wednesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Tuesdays from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. It is best to go during the week to avoid crowds, and if you go on the weekend the ideal is to go as soon as they open. It also has a café-restaurant where you can dine, in addition to the typical souvenir shop where you can buy replicas of what you see in the museum.