A group of Lisbon businessmen financed the opera house in 1792, and Queen Maria I opened it on June 30, 1793, replacing the Tejo Opera House lost in the 1755 earthquake. José da Costa e Silva designed it, and the article says it was built in about six months. The style is neoclassical with rococo elements, and the interior resembles Naples' San Carlo while the facade and interior resemble La Scala. The main hall is elliptical, with five tiers of boxes. The article gives 844 seats in the introduction and 1,148 in the description. The facade has a portico and a loggia with three arches, with stone balustrades.
Gas lighting came in 1850, and the state bought it soon afterward. It was classed as Property of Public Interest in 1928 and as a National Monument in 1996.
It has a resident opera company and orchestra, and stands in the Chiado district.
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