History of the Marianos Convent, a XVIIth century monument located in the Rua das Janelas Verdes, nowadays transformed into an Hotel: York House Lisbon.

The York House is settled on the former grounds of the Marianos Convent. In the year 1581, Father Ambrósio Mariano came to Portugal with the intent of spreading the faith, bringing with him the order of the Barefoot Carmelites followers of Saint Theresa.

Upon their arrival they soon realised that Santos (a neighbourhood which dates back to the beginnings of the Christian era and that is connected to the events envolving the Martyr Saints of Lisbon – Veríssimo, Júlia and Maximus) was the appropriate site for the construction of the convent which nowadays is occupied by the YORK HOUSE Hotel.

The construction of the convent, which is dedicated to Our Lady of Remédios, was initiated on the 27th September of 1606 with the donation of 100.000 gold coins by King Phillip I who understood the relevance and nobility inherent to the Marianos.

Life within the convent`s walls was filled with serenity and contemplation as if flowing along with the peaceful waters of the Tagus river nearby. But after the extinction of the religious orders in 1834 by the so-called Mata Frades the building was abandoned.

It would later be used for several other purposes, such as a military hospital between 1856 and 1871, and as the workshop of Gaspar José Marques, the famous inventor who used the temple for the production of some of his most famous creations.

These are some of the most important moments in the life of the York House

1879 – Between 1759 and 1879 the convent was used for other purposes that further contributed to its degradation. In 1879 it was sold in a public auction to an Irish Society of the Evangelical Church that acquired the building for 30.000 escudos, (the former Portuguese currency), which at the time was a real bargain.
The reasons for this purchase are believed to be linked to spreading the evangelical faith and principles, which is illustrated by the fact that this society opened a new temple close to the convent and the priest was sheltered inside the convent itself. The space surrounding the magnificent cloister was rented to artisans.
1880 – Only a year after two English ladies from the Yorkshire region, rented the space that was formerly occupied by the evangelical priest and after some remodelling, they inaugurated a small inn called the YORK HOUSE.

1890 – 1910 – After 20 years in business these 2 ladies sold the house to 2 other british ladies who in turn sold the property to 2 french owners, the Chiron ladies.

1931 – After 21 years the Chiron ladies sold the YORK HOUSE Inn to the Goldsteins, a French couple that found themselves in possession of a third rate establishment that had little to offer to its six guests in terms of comfort. The water supply was inexistent and there was no heating system as well. The furniture was inappropriate and the wallpaper was already torn in many places. The floor was also in poor conditions and the light bowls simply hung from the ceiling further contributing to a grim atmosphere.
The remainder of the industrial equipment was not at all suitable for a demanding clientele. The sheets and the blankets were very old, there were practically no kitchen utensils and a single sugar bowl was used by all the guests to sweeten their morning coffee.

At the time, this Inn consisted of a shabby ground-floor, and the kitchen was equipped with a small oven, that was clearly insufficient for the guests needs. The rest of the ground-floor was constituted by a dining room, an office, a small living room a bathroom, and 16 rooms. The owners lodgings included 3 rooms and a bathroom.

On the first floor, 10 other rooms and a bathroom provided additional accommodation. The configuration of the Inn wasn’t susceptible of generating a steady income for the proprietors, despite the fact that it was embellished by the religious architecture and laid-out in 2 different levels, because the access was made through an inner courtyard that had no direct communication to the street. This isolation shielded the guests against intruders but it also prevented that possible clients could see the inn from the outside.

However Madame Goldstein’s entrepreneurial spirit prevailed and she began renovating the space with the goal of rendering all 26 rooms fit for occupation. She proceeded with caution mainly due to the fact that she still had to pay the lease, but she bought new furniture and redecorated the place after a thorough process of cleaning. The bathrooms also underwent a profound intervention, with the acquisition of bathtubs and the substitution of all the kitchen tools and tableware.

1940 – In the first 10 years of exploration, the owners seized the opportunity for improving the technical features of the hotel, with a great personal commitment and human investment. The main goal was to attract customers and to create an international reputation. This objective was entirely achieved thanks to the hiring of skilled professionals. Work and dedication joined forces and the first steps in the Hotel industry were confidently taken.
1940 was also the year when the pipe’s installation took place as well as the incorporation of electrical current within the walls, that were also coloured with washable paint.

1941 – The attic underwent some remodelling and 10 new rooms along with 2 bathrooms were built. This structure was designed to serve as the 25 employees quarters.
In the same year, Home International, who was sub renting part of the first floor decided to leave the premises, thus making way for the enlargement of the Hotel and 8 new bedrooms, 4 of which equipped with private bathrooms, were built. A new gallery overlooking the charming inner courtyard was also added.
All the renovation was executed taking into account the surrounding architecture and the decoration was suited to the ambience of the convent

1958 – The period between 1941 and 1958 was characterised by the remodelling of the services that were adapted to all 34 rooms. The kitchen was enlarged, a hot water supply system was installed and the management tried to equip all the rooms with private bathrooms

Once again the proprietors seized the opportunity to expand the hotel when the protestant priest’s quarters were made vacant and 11 new rooms were built, 10 of them with private bathrooms and a central heating system was installed. The tireless efforts and the love that was put into the adaptation of that space by the owners, deserves reference. New hallways and living rooms were created and a staircase was added.

1964 – The building located on west side of the inner patio became vacant so efforts were made in order to integrate it in the YORK HOUSE, through a commercial lease contract. Once in possession of this new infrastructure that consisted of a relatively tall warehouse, adaptation works took place that included the creation of 2 floors connected by an inner staircase and a balcony, that communicated with the hallway providing access to other areas of the Hotel. An elegant salon, a bar, a bathroom and a duplex room were installed on the first floor. 2 other rooms were built with direct access to the hallway and an astonishing view of the inner patio.
All the remodelling was made according to the original drawings of the convent and respecting the typical ambience of the YORK HOUSE.
Later that year the dining room was augmented and generally improved, because it was transferred to the building that had been recently acquired by the YORK HOUSE. When the works began, the masons realised that they could easily remove all the debris from the hidden room under the salon, thus enlarging its capacity to receive more guests. This secret room displays a classical vaulted ceiling, however the improvements turned to be quite expensive, due to the fact that the renovations are always very delicate tasks to perform.

1965 – Increasing the number of rooms caused a natural boost in the workload so an industrial laundry was introduced, also because of the increasing costs with the employees wages. The employees were not neglected during this period, and in order to facilitate their day to day tasks the oil stove was replaced by a gas oven, among other improvements.
In 1965 the YORK HOUSE possessed 46 rooms, of which 36 included private bathrooms, a duplex dining room, 3 living rooms, a kitchen and laundry service as well as other support facilities and 10 rooms for the employees along with 2 bathrooms. In spite of all the remodelling done, the Hotel tried to give visibility to the monastery’s features and preserve its structural integrity.

It is a rewarding experience to be able to contemplate the architectonical beauty that is hidden in every corner of this ancient convent. It is a true privilege to have the opportunity of travelling back in time and experience what life must have been like for the nuns who walked through the corridors covered by majestic vaults praying and admiring the mysteries of faith. The dining room, the living rooms and even the doors of some of the rooms are a vivid testimony of a forgotten age.
But the proprietors were not yet satisfied with current status of the Hotel and new ideas started blossoming in their entrepreneurial minds. One of those projects was the acquisition of a furniture shop located just below the YORK HOUSE constituted by various rooms displaying an interesting design and adaptable features. Unfortunately at the time it wasn’t possible to set this project in motion, but a few years later the owners eventually found a way of overcoming these difficulties.

1966 -1967 - During this period, the opportunity presented itself, for the expansion of the YORK HOUSE by renting a building located in the Janelas Verdes street. It is said that this building would have been inhabited at some point in time by Eça de Queirós a famous Portuguese writer whose works have been translated in over 20 languages. Only the exterior walls remained and the interior was adapted to the hotel business. Nevertheless the spirit that presided to this intervention was to preserve the inspiring atmosphere that gave birth to so many novels and tales of love, heroic deeds and betrayal.
By the end of the sixties the YORK HOUSE had 58 rooms, 48 of them with private bathrooms and a whole ensemble of services and installations, that finally allow the public to classify it as a proper hotel.

1970 – In the beginning of the seventies the Hotel faced some financial problems that would only be aggravated by the advent of the 25th of April revolution, which finally forced the collapse of the dictatorial regime, but also spread an aura of uncertainty over the country.

1981 – In 1981 the project for the purchase of the furniture shop under the Hotel finally saw the light of the day and studies began for discovering an architectonical solution that could benefit the Hotel never neglecting its traditional characteristics. This was the case of the reception/concièrge that was designed according to the convent’s style.

The Hotel is happy to divulge a list of important personalities, that have honoured us with their presence some of them internationally known figures such as António Nobre, Raúl Brandão, Bernardino Machado, José Régio, Oliveira Martins, Teixeira de Pascoaes, Vieira da Silva, Graham Green, Alexandra Nanini, His Royal Highness the Prince of Luxembourg, Teresa Braganza, Sir Cliff Richard, Reamonn, Luciano Benetton, Maria de Medeiros among many others.

2003 – The new project of redecoration of the YORK HOUSE Hotel, is set in motion according to more modern conceptions and its cosmopolitan guests. The architect Filipa Lacerda is entrusted with the creation of what can be designated as a “design-chic” decoration. She demonstrated all her skills, producing a successful and tasteful result. The solutions discovered by Filipa Lacerda had immediate success and fears that the most traditional or conservative guests, would disapprove of the new features didn’t verify themselves.