Porto Historic Centre

Church • Porto, Porto

Porto Cathedral rises on the Terreiro da Sé, in the historic heart of the city, as a Romanesque-Gothic cathedral marked by successive transformations. Classified as a National Monument in 1910, it preserves traces of the Romanesque building begun in the first half of the 12th century and continued until the early 13th century. Its fortress-church silhouette, with a façade flanked by two towers, battlements and a rose window, reveals the austere strength of the medieval construction. The building received Mannerist and Baroque alterations, among them the lateral galilee of 1736, by Nicolau Nasoni, facing the city. The Gothic cloister, associated with the time of King João I, contains 18th-century tile panels. Between ancient stone, gilded woodcarving and open views over Porto, the Cathedral shows the city’s religious, artistic and urban continuity.

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.

Church • Porto, Porto

The Torre e Igreja dos Clérigos rise in the heart of Porto, between Rua dos Clérigos, Rua de São Filipe de Nery and Rua da Assunção. The ensemble was designed by the Italian architect Nicolau Nasoni for the Irmandade dos Clérigos, founded in 1707. The first stone of the church was laid in 1732, and construction of the tower began in 1754, being completed in 1763. Classified as a National Monument since 1910, the ensemble is one of Nasoni’s most prominent works in northern Portugal. The church reveals an elliptical plan and a Baroque façade with a strong scenic quality. The granite tower rises in six storeys to a height of 75 metres, with 225 steps to the top. Between the verticality of stone, Baroque decoration and the view over the Douro, the Clérigos condense Porto’s architecture, devotion and urban image.

Church • Porto, Porto

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.

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.

Church • Porto, Porto

The Igreja e Museu de São Francisco are located on Rua da Bolsa, in Porto’s historic heart. The Church of the Convent of São Francisco, classified as a National Monument since 1910, began to be built in 1383, linked to the Franciscan presence in the city. Its Gothic architecture, with three naves, received over the centuries an interior decoration of great intensity, marked by Baroque gilded woodcarving from the 17th and 18th centuries. This contrast between the sobriety of the medieval structure and the ornamental brilliance is one of the ensemble’s strongest features. Among the works, the mural painting of Senhora da Rosa and the Tree of Jesse altarpiece stand out. The museum route continues in the Casa do Despacho, designed by Nicolau Nasoni and completed in 1749, with the Treasury Room, the Sessions Room and the Catacomb Cemetery. Stone, gold and funerary memory reveal here several layers of Porto’s religious and artistic history.

Historic House • Porto, Porto

Casa do Infante is located on Rua da Alfândega, in Porto’s riverside area. Also known as Casa da Rua da Alfândega Velha, it is one of the city’s oldest buildings and preserves the memory of royal services installed beside the Douro. Over the centuries, it housed the former Customs House, the Mint and functions connected to the administration of the Crown. Its name became associated with the tradition that Prince Henry the Navigator was born here in 1394. Classified as a National Monument since 1924, the house reveals a history built in layers: medieval structures, later enlargements and archaeological remains of Roman occupation, including mosaic floors. Today it forms part of the Museu do Porto and contains permanent exhibitions, the Gabinete do Tempo and the Municipal Historical Archive. Between stone, documents and excavated ruins, the building brings together trade, royal power and urban memory.

Museum • Porto, Porto

The Museu da Misericórdia do Porto, or MMIPO, is located on Rua das Flores, in Porto’s Historic Centre, in the building that served as the headquarters of the Santa Casa da Misericórdia do Porto from the mid-16th century until 2013. The institution, founded in 1499, is linked to a long history of assistance, charity and artistic heritage. The museum presents this memory through collections of painting, sculpture, sacred art and objects related to the work of the Misericórdia. The route includes the Igreja da Misericórdia, a 16th-century construction deeply transformed in the 18th century by Nicolau Nasoni, and the Galeria dos Benfeitores, marked by iron-and-glass architecture. Among the works on display, Fons Vitae stands out, an oil painting on oak panel, attributed to Colijn de Coter and dated to around 1515-1517. Between devotion, assistance and art, the museum makes visible a long-standing institutional memory in Porto.

Garden • Porto, Porto

The Jardins do Palácio de Cristal, in Porto, preserve the memory of a place that has changed its face several times. The former Campo da Torre da Marca, known since 1542 for a tower used as a reference point for ships at the Douro bar, received the Palácio de Cristal Portuense in the 19th century. Inaugurated by D. Luís in 1865 for the Portuguese International Exhibition, the iron-and-glass building was designed by Thomas Dillens Jones; the romantic gardens were entrusted to Émile David. The palace was demolished in 1951 and replaced by the Sports Pavilion, today the Pavilhão Rosa Mota. From the original design, the Émile David Garden, the Lime and Plane Tree avenues, the woodland and the terraces over the Douro still remain. Among camellias, fountains, sculptures and viewpoints, the garden keeps alive the bond between city, leisure and landscape.

Museum • Porto, Porto

The Museu dos Transportes e Comunicações occupies the Alfândega Nova do Porto, on Rua Nova da Alfândega, beside the right bank of the Douro. The building, designed by the French architect Jean F. G. Colson, began to be built in 1859 on the former Praia de Miragaia and was inaugurated in 1869. Its neoclassical architecture, marked by the combined use of iron, stone, brick and wood, served the city’s customs activity for more than a century. In 1987 it was decided that it would house the future museum, and the requalification was guided by Eduardo Souto de Moura. Today, the museum preserves the memory of the Customs House and interprets the role of transport and communications in modern society. Among its sections are Metamorfose de um Lugar, O Motor da República and the panel Ribeira Negra, by Júlio Resende.