An earthquake of great magnitude, estimated an intensity between 8.7 and 9 on the Richter scale, destroyed part of the city of Lisbon, especially the downtown area. It also hit other areas of the country, such as Setúbal and the entire coast of the Algarve. In Spain, to the south, it reached Seville and left its mark on the wall of the city of Carmona.
It was one of the deadliest earthquakes in history, marking what some historians call the prehistory of modern Europe. This natural disaster was the most destructive in recent centuries to hit Portugal.
The earthquake was followed by a tsunami, which is believed to have reached the height of 20 meters, as well as several fires in the city, having made about 10 thousand dead, it is not known for sure.
It had a great political and socio-economic impact on Portuguese society in the 18th century, giving rise to the first scientific studies of the effect of an earthquake in a large area, thus marking the birth of modern seismology.
In 1755, there was still no insurance to cover the losses resulting from the loss of buildings and their fillings. The personal losses were borne by everyone.
The reconstruction of downtown Lisbon was on behalf of the State, where the Marquis of Pombal had the city plan redesigned by architects Carlos Mardel, Manuel da Maia and Eugénio dos Santos.
