at a glance

in fact, it was next to rua das laranjeiras that the origin for the name of the square are rooted -  at the time there was a butcher shop located here, which had a large store banner with an axe (machado) drawn on it just above the entrance, and it was from this signboard that the location would take its name.

in the 1830s the local parish was established, prompting 10 years later the decision to build a church - one of the most important local landmarks, the Igreja Matriz de Nossa Senhora da glória (The Church of Our Lady of Glory), situated at Largo do Machado, was first founded in 1842, and inaugurated in a big citywide ceremony in 1872.

The architecture of the Church resembles the Parish of Saint Martin in the Fields, located in Trafalgar Square, London - a small hallway leads from the front door to the altar on which is places an image of the Patron Saint, the altar is comprised of four columns atop which are beautiful carvings and intricate drawings.