Restoration of the Church of Santa Isabel in Lisbon wins Vilalva Prize

The restoration of the Church of Santa Isabel in Lisbon, built in 1742, won, out of 26 candidates, the 12th edition of the Maria Tereza and Vasco Vilalva Prize.

The jury particularly praised the excellence of the painting of the ceiling by Michael Biberstein, who passed away in 2013. According to the jury, the project, called ‘A sky for Santa Isabel, is “one of the leading contemporary art interventions within the scope of classical architecture”.

The Maria Tereza and Vasco Vilalva Prize is awarded to the best heritage restoration projects undertaken by private entities in Portugal. Coming with a cheque of € 50,000, it’s the leading prize in the Portuguese heritage restoration field.

Have a look at the painted ceiling in the YouTube video below (in Portuguese). For more information about ‘A sky for Santa Isabel’, visit the project’s website (in English). For more photos of the Church of Santa Isabel, visit Tripadvisor (in English).