New Cathedral of Coimbra Church

Address: Sé Velha de Coimbra, Largo da Sé Velha, 3000-143 Coimbra, Portugal

Admission: EUR 1-3 suggested donation; cathedral services free

The New Cathedral of Coimbra (Sé Nova) is a cathedral complex in Coimbra, Portugal, originally constructed as a Jesuit college church in the 16th century. It was reassigned as the city’s cathedral in the 18th century and combines Mannerist and Baroque elements from its Jesuit origins.

The interior is organized around a broad nave and elevated choir with side chapels; the adjacent former college buildings form part of the cathedral precinct. The building retains features typical of late Renaissance and early Baroque ecclesiastical architecture in Portugal.

The church was built by the Jesuit order in the 16th century and was made the diocesan cathedral in 1772 when ecclesiastical structures in Coimbra were reorganized. Since then it has served as the principal seat of the bishop of Coimbra.

Geographically it sits in Coimbra’s historic centre close to the University of Coimbra and its academic district, on the hilltop plateau that contains much of the city’s landmark architecture.

• Cathedral status: Converted from a Jesuit college church to cathedral status in 1772, it contrasts with Coimbra’s older Romanesque Sé Velha nearby.

What to See#

• Main nave and choir: A broad single-nave interior with a high choir and side chapels reflecting its original function as a Jesuit church from the 16th century.
• Former Jesuit college: Associated former Jesuit college buildings that sit next to the church and form part of the complex now serving cathedral functions.

The cathedral is a short walk from Coimbra’s historic centre and about 10-15 minutes on foot from Coimbra‑B train station (or a quick taxi). Signs in the old town point toward ‘Sé Nova’.

• Visit the cloister and the cathedral treasury early to avoid crowds.
• Look for the Romanesque façade and the heavy barber‑surgeon marks on the cathedral stone-small human traces rarely mentioned.
• Combine with the old university district walk to feel Coimbra's layered scholarly past.