Rua Augusta Arch

Rua Augusta Arch
Rua Augusta Arch
Portuguese: Arco da Rua Augusta
	The arch seen from Praça do Comércio
General information
Type	Memorial arch
Location	Lisbon
Country	Portugal
Coordinates	38°42′30″N 9°08′12″W / 38.7084°N 9.1368°W
Construction started	1755
Completed	1873

The Rua Augusta Arch (Portuguese: Arco da Rua Augusta) is a stone,

arch crown to the cornice imparts an appearance of heaviness to the structure. The associated space is filled with the coat of arms of Portugal. The allegorical group at the top, made by French sculptor Célestin Anatole Calmels

, represents Glory rewarding Valor and Genius.

Originally designed as a bell tower, the building was ultimately transformed into an elaborate arch after more than a century.^[1]

Features

Because of the top cornice's great height (over 100 feet/30 m), the figures above it had to be made colossal. The female allegory of Glory, which is dressed in

Jupiter

behind his left arm. At his left side are the attributes of writing and arts.

The four statues over the columns, made by Victor Bastos, represent

Viriatus on the left. The two recumbent figures represent the rivers Tagus and Douro

. The arch hold these figures to represent Portuguese history and show their dominance by incorporating Triumphal arch as they were victoriously rebuilding the city from the damages.

It appeared as the arch through which the Lilliputians wheeled Lemuel Gulliver in the 1996 miniseries Gulliver's Travels.^[2]^[3]