PORTO’S AZULEJOS
1. Estacão de São Bento
Artist Jorge Colaço’s depiction of secular subjects can be seen on the exterior of Porto’s grand São Bento station (see Estacão de São Bento) and within its central hall. Here, Colaço created colourful images from seminal moments in Portugal’s history, such as the visit of Dom João I in 1387 and the conquest of Ceuta in 1415.
The main hall of Estacão de São Bento
2. Igreja de São Pedro de Miragaia
The simple geometric tilework on the plain frontage of this church (see Igreja de São Pedro de Miragaia), dedicated to the patron saint of fishermen, was added in the 19th century and contrasts sharply with the more elaborate azulejo façades of many of Porto’s historic buildings. Here, it gives little hint of the riot of gilt and carving within.
3. Igreja de São Ildefonso
The immaculate tilework that adorns the exterior of this church (see Igreja de Santo Ildefonso) was created by Jorge Colaço in 1932. Using around 11,000 tiles, the display features scenes from the life of São Ildefonso (St Ildefonsus), the 7th-century Visigothic bishop of Toledo.
4. Sé do Porto
The walls of the Gothic cloister and the Baroque loggia of Porto’s spectacular cathedral (see Sé do Porto) are graced with intricately designed azulejos, which depict scenes from the Song of Solomon and the life of the Virgin Mary. They are the work of the 18th-century ceramicists Valentim de Almeida and António Vidal.
5. Igreja do Carmo
Completely covered in vivid tiled panels created by Silvestre Silvestri and depicting Nossa Senhora (the Virgin Mary), the façade of this 18th-century church (see Igrejas das Carmelitas e do Carmo) features some of Porto’s most spectacular azulejo tilework. The tiles on the east wall show scenes of the founding of the Carmelite order in the Holy Land.
6. Casa da Música
Rem Koolhaas’s angular white building is the perfect setting for the luminescent blue tiles of the Casa da Música’s VIP Room, created by the architect in homage to the Portuguese and Dutch ceramicists of the 16th century.
7. Capela das Almas
Added in 1929 by artist Eduardo Leite, the elaborate tiles on the façade of the Capela das Almas, also known as the Capela de Santa Catarina (see Capela das Almas), show the martyrdom of St Catherine, executed on a wheel in the 4th century (so giving her name to the popular firework), as well as scenes from the life and death of St Francis of Assisi.
The azulejo-clad Capela das Almas
8. A Pérola do Bolhão
Rua Formosa 279 • Open 9:30am–7:30pm Mon–Fri (to 1pm Sat)
The Art Nouveau frontage of this vintage grocery store (see A Pérola do Bolhao) is decorated with multicoloured, tile portraits of Indian and African women. They symbolize the tea and coffee imported from across Portugal’s colonial empire and purveyed here to the people of Porto since 1917.
Entrance to A Pérola do Bolhão
9. Ribeira Negra Panel
This contemporary work (see Ribeira Negra Panel) is a 1987 creation by Júlio Resende. It adorns the entrance to the Tunel de Ribeira and celebrates the lives and hardships of Porto’s riverside communities.
10. Banco de Materiais
Praça Carlos Alberto 71 • Closed Sun
The “Bank of Materials” (see Banco de Materiais) is an initiative by the city government to display and sell beautifully coloured tiles with the aim of helping owners to conserve homes and shops.
