The body of the former President of the Republic Jorge Sampaio will be in a burning chamber in the former Museu dos Coches, in Belém, Lisbon, from midday this Saturday, announced the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
For Sunday, an official tribute ceremony to Jorge Sampaio is scheduled at the Jerónimos Monastery – as happened in the funeral ceremonies of Mário Soares, in January 2017, also with state honors – before the funeral leaves for the Alto de São Cemetery João, in Lisbon.
Before arriving at the former royal arena, where the Coach Museum later functioned, the State funeral ceremonies will start at 10:10 am this Saturday, with a first stop at Lisbon City Hall, between 10:35 and 10:45.
The funeral procession will then pass through Rua do Arsenal, Praça do Comércio, Avenida da Ribeira das Naus, Cais do Sodré, Avenida 24 de Julho and Avenida da Índia, until reaching Praça Afonso de Albuquerque.
Upon arrival in Belém, the coffin will be received by the three highest authorities of the State: the President of the Republic Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, the President of the Assembly of the Republic Eduardo Ferro Rodrigues, and the Prime Minister António Costa.
The wake will be open to the public between 12:00 and 23:00 on Saturday, while the official ceremony in Jerónimos will take place between 11:00 and 13:00 on Sunday. This ceremony at the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos will feature various interventions, by state figures but also family members, as well as a cultural moment, with the participation of the Portuguese Symphony Orchestra and the São Carlos National Theater, between 11:00 and 13:00.
This is followed by the funeral, which goes to the Alto de São João Cemetery, where the arrival of Jorge Sampaio's body is expected to take place at 13:30 pm.
Until it gets there, the coffin will pass by Avenida da Índia, Avenida 24 de Julho, Avenida da Ribeira das Naus, Praça do Comércio, Avenida Infante D. Henrique, Avenida Mouzinho de Albuquerque, Praça Paiva Couceiro and Rua Morais Soares.
At the cemetery, there will be a tribute paid by companies from the three branches of the Armed Forces, which will mark the end of the official funeral ceremonies, followed by "a strictly private ceremony, strictly reserved for the family" of the former President, as explained by Minister Augusto Santos Silva.
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