The parish of Anjos was created by Cardinal Henry of Portugal, splitting the territory from that of the large Santa Justa parish. The seat of the newly created parish was a small chapel (ermida) under the invocation of Our Lady of Angels — this small chapel was later enlarged in the 17th century, during the reign of King Philip III of Portugal.[1]
From 1579 up to the 1820s, when it ceased due to the lack of means, the church had collegiate status; the college of canons consisted of 11 chaplains who maintained the daily office of worship.[1]
The original church was demolished in 1908 in order to make way for a major thoroughfare, Avenida D. Amélia (named after Queen Amélie of Orléans; renamed Avenida Almirante Reis shortly after the 5 October 1910 revolution, honouring one of the Republican revolutionaries). The church was rebuilt on the western side of the avenue, by architect José Luis Monteiro: Monteiro respected the proportions of the original church, but gave it a more pronounced Neoclassical façade. The 17th- and 18th-century Baroque interiors of the original church were fully preserved and transferred to the new one, and can still be observed today; some of the paintings are even older, both a panel by Mannerist painter Diogo Teixeira [pt] depicting Saint Irene healing the wounds of Saint Sebastian, and a rare painting of Saint Anthony of Lisbon (in the sacristy) date back to the 16th century.[2]
