The historic theatre is one of the most prestigious Portuguese venues and is located in the Rossio square, in the centre of the city.

Thanks to the intensive efforts of Romantic poet and dramatist Almeida Garrett, it was decided to replace the old palace by a modern theatre, dedicated to Queen Mary II of Portugal.

The main feature of the façade is a portico (hexastyle) with six Ionic columns reused from the Saint Francis Convent of Lisbon and a triangular pediment.

[2] The pediment is topped by a statue of Renaissance playwright Gil Vicente (c. 1464-c. 1536),[1] considered the founder of Portuguese theatre.

Ironically, some of Gil Vicente's plays had been censured by the Portuguese Inquisition in the late 16th century.