Eça de Queirós arrived in Leiria in late July 1870 after being appointed municipal administrator at only 25.
Upon arrival, Eça was welcomed by other officials as well as the curious locals, who wanted to catch a glimpse of the new administrator.
It was Júlio Teles, his copyist, who advised him to stay in the boarding house located at no.13 Rua da Tipografia, where a priest, a doctor, a Cathedral dean, a public official and the owner of the pharmacy were also staying, all of whom entertained themselves in the evening playing cards and listening to Júlio Teles’ guitar.
Leiria was a small provincial, picturesque town at the time, housing only three thousand inhabitants who all knew each other.
However, it served as inspiration and the people-watching stage Eça needed for his writing, which led to him producing “The Crime of Father Amaro”, set in the city of Leiria and referencing several locations in the city.

Start of the route: Rodrigues Lobo Square
End of the route: Viewpoint (Public Security Police building)
Itinerary of places: 6 stops

1- Rodrigues Lobo Square
2 – Igreja da Misericórdia | Casa do Arco (Church of Mercy | Arch House)
3 – Travessa da Tipografia (Typography Alley)
4 – Cathedral Square
5 – Bell Tower
6 – Viewpoint

1. Rodrigues Lobo Square
The city’s main square became its central point from the twelfth century onwards, going on to become the centre of power when the Town Hall and pillory were installed there during the reign of King John I (1423). The weekly fair was also held here, where the rural population came to sell their surplus produce.

Reference in the book:
“It was almost nine o’clock, and the darkness was closing in. Around the Square, the houses were already sleeping: the shops in the arcade glowed with the sad light of oil lamps, and one could make out indolent figures at the counters talking and arguing.”

The Athenaeum building is also located in this square, which also functioned as the meeting place for Leiria’s assembly of which Eça de Queirós was a member, this being where he would read the newspapers and read.

2. Igreja da Misericórdia | Casa do Arco (Church of Mercy | Arch House)
The Church of Mercy, a Christian temple of worship with Mannerist and baroque traces built in the 18^th century was classified as a monument of public interest in 2015.
This is the location within the city the author makes the most references to (18) throughout the novel.

Reference in the book:
“(…) and from the walls of the poorhouse came the constant shriek of owls.»

There were two arches on Rua dos Arcos da Misericórdia, and it must have been these that Eça de Queirós would have seen in his time.

Reference in the book:
“Early next morning, Amélia was walking down Rua da Misericórdia to the main square, when João Eduardo ambushed her by the Arch.»

3. Travessa da Tipografia (Typography Alley)
A plaque commemorating the centenary of Eça de Queirós having lived in Leiria is located here. The plaque, which has the writer’s silhouette on it, is on the facade of the building where he lived as municipal administrator.

References in the book:
“- And here’s your palace! – said the canon, as he used the knocker on a long, thin door.”
“Two ancient balconies protruded out of the first-floor facade, with rounded thyme bushes in wooden boxes decorating their corners. The small, upper windows had protruding windowsill sand the irregular wall resembled a dented can.”

4. Cathedral Square
Construction began on Leiria Cathedral, a Mannerist-style building, in 1559. It has a Latin cross floor plan made up of 3 naves, a tripartite apse, and a cloister with 3 wings connected to the apse. The bell tower, built in the Portas do Sol (or South) area of the city walls, is unconnected to the cathedral.
The cathedral was classified as a national monument in 2014.

References in the book:
“Then the two priests both looked knowingly up at the administrator’s open window, where, in the shadows, they could make out the figure of the administrator with his binoculars trained on the house of Teles the tailor. They went down the cathedral steps, shoulder to shoulder, laughing, amused by that passion which was the talk of Leiria.»
“The most frightening part was the Cathedral square over which Amparo in the pharmacy kept an incessant vigil as she sat at the window, sewing. Amélia would shrink into her cape then and keep her sunshade low over her face.»

5. Bell Tower
Built in a Baroque style, construction began shortly after the 1755 earthquake, on top of one of the ancient medieval towers of the Portas do Sol, which marked the entrance to the old medieval village and castle. It was built away from the cathedral so that the bells would be heard in the furthest parish away – Arrabalde.
The Bellringer’s House was built next door, which serves as Eça’s inspiration. However, in his writing, the tower and Bellringer’s House are connected to the cathedral.
It is in the Bellringer’s House that the romantic encounters between the two main characters take place in complete secrecy. The pretext of these encounters are charitable visits to a person with paralysis.

References in the book:
“They met every week, sometimes once, sometimes twice, so that, by the end of the month their charitable visits to Totó has reached the symbolic number of seven (…). Father Amaro would warn Esguelhas the night before, and Esguelhas would leave the street door ajar, having first swept the whole house and prepared the bedroom for the priest’s work.”
“But if, when she went into the sexton’s house, she did not find Amaro there, she would not even pause at the foot of Totó’s bed, but go straight to the kitchen window, to keep a watch on the thick sacristy door, every one of whose black iron studs familiar to her.”

6. Viewpoint
This point provides a magnificent view over the city and other areas, such as the Church Of Our Lady of the Incarnation and the Marachão.

Reference in the book:
“They spoke of the lovely countryside around Leiria, of the excellent views: Dona Josefaparticularly enjoyed the riverside walk; she had even heard tell that there was nothing to compare with it in Lisbon itself. Dona Joaquina Gansoso preferred the Church of the Incarnation up the hill.»