R. S. Bento: São Bento Palace/ The Parliament of Portugal

São Bento Palace was built in 1615 as a monastery, but was damaged by the 1755 earthquake and rebuilt as the country’s imposing neoclassical parliament in 1834. The interior is not regularly open for visits, except when it occasionally hosts temporary art exhibitions. The exterior staircase is flanked by two lions, and on the main façade are four female allegorical statues -- "Prudence," "Justice," "Strength" and "Temperance." The sculptures in the tympanum represent, among others, areas such as Industry and Trade. Behind it is the official residence of the Prime Minister, whose gardens are open to the public on Sunday mornings. It features sculptures by some prominent Portuguese artists, including Leopoldo de Almeida and street artist Vhils, who created a tribute to the Carnation Revolution of 1974. The Prime Minister’s mansion, whose first resident was dictator António Salazar in 1938, is not open for visits.