Marquis of Pombal Square
The Marquis of Pombal Square (Portuguese: Praça do Marquês de Pombal) is an important roundabout in the city of Lisbon, Portugal. It is located between the Liberdade Avenue and the Eduardo VII Park.
The square is the radiating point for various important avenues: Liberdade, Duque de Loulé and Fontes Pereira de Melo, as well as the streets Braamcamp and Joaquim António de Aguiar.
Its name is a reference to Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, Marquis of Pombal, the mighty prime-minister who ruled Portugal from 1750 to 1777. In the middle of the roundabout there is a large column dedicated to him, built between 1917 and 1934 and created by Adães Bermudes, António Couto and Francisco Santos. A bronze statue of the Marquis is on the top, with a lion - symbol of power - by his side. The Marquis is shown looking towards the Baixa Pombalina, the area of Lisbon that was rebuilt under his direction after the disastrous 1755 Lisbon Earthquake.