Igreja do Carmo

The Igreja do Carmo, in Porto, stands beside the Igreja dos Carmelitas, between Rua do Carmo and Praça de Carlos Alberto. The church belongs to the Venerable Third Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, established in 1736. The first stone was laid in 1756, with a design by José de Figueiredo Seixas, and the church was completed in 1762, after Nicolau Nasoni had endorsed the architectural plan. Part of the ensemble classified as a National Monument in 2013, it is distinguished by its Rococo façade, full of decorative movement, with images of the prophets Elijah and Elisha, Saint Anne and the four Evangelists. Inside, the gilded woodcarving of the chapels and high altar extends the ornamental richness. The side façade, covered with blue and white tiles in 1907 and 1912, represents Carmelite devotion and has become one of the city’s most recognisable surfaces.