Sebastianism

An Immortal King

We took another Guruwalk in Lisbon. This time focusing on the Baixa and Chiado sections of the city which were destroyed during the 1755 earthquake, fires, and tsunami. This flatter area, closer to the river was redesigned with wider streets that follow a more modern square-block-like pattern. We happened upon a train station.

Beautiful doorway to Rossio Station in Lisbon. Notice anything?

King Sebastian

Our guide asked if anyone noticed anything unusual in the area pictured above. Frankly, I was so consumed by the sweeping curves that I didn’t take note of the empty niche to the right of the doorway above. We learned that once there was a statue of King Sebastian (who reigned from 1557 to 1578) in that niche. Sebastian was not your “ordinary” king. He was the heir-apparent as he was born two weeks after the death of his father and he assumed the throne when his grandfather King John III died when he was just three. He was educated by the Jesuits and was thought to be a very bright and devout child.

King Sebastian was loved by the Portuguese people and during his short reign, he is responsible for the building of two Lisbon hospitals, creating shelters for the widows and children of plague victims, and created scholarships for those wishing to study medicine at Coimbra University. He also strengthened ties with England and France and created a military organization that repelled the Indian assault on Goa in 1570.

But some might say that he was an impulsive soul, and he dreamed of a great crusade. He found his opportunity in Morocco in 1578 when he took an army of 17,000 to join 6,000 Moorish soldiers at Arzila. There against the advice of his commanders he rode directly into the interior of battle. The Portuguese army was routed by Abd Al-Malik and his army of more than 60,000 men.

Every boy needs a dog.

Sebastianism

As he rode directly into enemy lines, it is almost certain that he was killed. In fact, King Phillip II of Spain claimed to have received his remains and buried them in the Jeronimós Monastery. However, at that time no one could be certain it was his body. Some believed that he would return one day, riding in one foggy morning on a white horse delivering them from Spanish rule. And thus we have the foundation of Sebastianism:

… a nation’s stubborn adherence to a belief, to a hope, in spite of facts, reason and logic to the contrary…it ususally produces or is accompanied by an indulgent smile. — Mary Elizabeth Brooks

The King at Rossio Station.

So?

Lets’s fast forward to more current times, specifically 2016. That is the year that a young Portuguese man thought that it would be a good idea to climb up, embrace the sculpture above and take a selfie. It didn’t end well. Oddly enough the perpetrator was 24…the same age as King Sebastian when he died.

Oops…a selfie went awry.