Cultural places in Portugal

Palace • Porto, Porto

The Palácio da Bolsa, on Rua Ferreira Borges, stands in Porto’s Historic Centre, beside the former Convent of São Francisco. Its origin is linked to the fire of 1832, during the Siege of Porto, which left the convent in ruins. After the closure of the Casa da Bolsa do Comércio, Porto’s merchants sought a headquarters of their own; the first stone was laid in 1842 by the Associação Comercial do Porto, following a design by the architect Joaquim da Costa Lima. The neoclassical building, classified as a National Monument, is organised around the Pátio das Nações, covered by a glazed metal structure. From the 1860s onwards, the interiors gained greater decorative richness. The Arab Room, conceived by Gustavo Adolfo Gonçalves e Sousa, was inaugurated in 1880 and evokes the Alhambra. Between staircases, noble rooms and ornamented surfaces, the palace preserves the economic, artistic and civic memory of 19th-century Porto.

Palace • Porto, Porto

The Episcopal Palace of Porto, on the Terreiro da Sé, rises beside the cathedral and follows the history of religious power in the city. Classified as a National Monument in 1910, it occupies the site of former episcopal residences, with medieval traces still recognisable; in the medieval palace, in 1386, the wedding of King João I and Philippa of Lancaster was celebrated. Its present image results above all from the Baroque reconstruction of the 18th century. Nicolau Nasoni was paid in 1734 for the palace plan, but the works, more intense from 1737 onwards, continued for many years and altered the initial design. On the façade, the central portal, the noble balcony and the arms of Bishop Rafael de Mendonça organise the ensemble. Inside, the vestibule, the courtyard and the monumental staircase reveal a building that brought together episcopal residence, administrative services and, during part of the 20th century, municipal functions.