The churches of Porto are something very special. Discover the golden churches of Porto, one that is a little better known and one that we would almost call an insider tip.
São Francisco is a church in the old town of Porto, which is a World Heritage Site. It is very well known and the crowds of visitors are correspondingly large. The visit here is divided into three areas: a visit to the church of the Convent of St. Francis, the church of the Third Order and sacristy and the museum with the catacombs.
Church of the Monastery of St. Francis in Porto
It is not possible to determine exactly when the Franciscan monks arrived in Porto. There is a recommendation from the Pope in 1233 to support the construction of a monastery on a plot of land in the city. The monks finally received permission 11 years later.
Today, the church is a national monument and is only open to visitors. Unfortunately, photography is prohibited here, even for private purposes, and it was very closely monitored.
It is difficult to describe the splendor of the church in Porto. Beautiful carvings draw the eye. For example, I find the altarpiece of the Tree of Jesse impressive. The carved figures depicted there look so lifelike and realistic. Unfortunately, the depiction is almost lost in the golden splendor of the church. The columns, the side altars and the main altar glitter in gold and are also skillfully illuminated.
The church is well worth a visit, even if it was a little crowded.
Church of the Third Order and sacristy
This church was built in 1795 in the neoclassical style. It is not quite as ornate, but that almost makes me like it even more. I particularly like the paintings on the ceiling and the altarpiece. This was designed by artist José Teixeira Barreto and shows St. Francis handing over the reign to St. Lucius and St. Bona. St. Francis is pointing upwards to heaven. A triangle with the date 1797 can be seen in the middle.
In the sacristy, I notice some pieces of furniture that were made by an Italian carver. The large mirrors in particular make the room look much larger.
Afterwards, we walked through the Museum of St. Francis, which is located in the former service and decree house of the order. Here, for example, we discovered religious sculptures from the 18th century and many pieces of silver from this era in the treasury.
Admittedly, the visit here was quite nice, but not as impressive as what awaited us.
Catacombs
We descend a few steps into the basement of the building. The air feels a little mustier, more humid. We enter a unique catacomb cemetery.
The tombs for the friars were laid out in 1746 and the bodies that had previously been buried in the courtyard were then moved into the building. It was not long before there was no longer enough space and the tombs had to be extended.
Around 1870, the order acquired part of a cemetery and from then on, burials could take place there.
We walk through individual cellar rooms with three rows of graves arranged one above the other along the walls. The style of the graves is uniform throughout the complex. White slabs framed by dark carved arches. Each grave has a number and a name is also inscribed on the white slab.
There is an altar in one room and also a small exhibition of the supporting structures with figures of saints from processions.
The catacombs were a real surprise and also a bit creepy when you think that you are standing there among the dead in a cellar.
Address:
Rua do Infante D. Henrique, 4050-297 Porto, Portugal
Opening hours
daily: April 1 to September 30: 9am – 8pm October 1 to March 31: 9 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Closed on December 25th.
Admission prices:
Adults: 9,-€ The entrance fee is reduced with the Portocard!
The lesser-known golden church: Igreja de Santa Clara (Porto)
We must have watched with great interest as the workmen drove a small truck into an even smaller driveway. With a wave of their hand, they kindly invite us to step into the courtyard and point to a small entrance door.
The inner courtyard is not very spectacular, but on closer inspection we see the simple Gothic façade of a church. Later I realize that the building dates back to the 15th century and the church hidden there is certainly one of the most beautiful and yet quite unknown churches in the city.
Curious to see what awaits us behind the small door, we enter the entrance hall, pay the entrance fee and go through the next door.
WOW!!! To be honest, my mouth fell open in amazement. I hadn’t expected that. We are standing in a golden church.
Looking back
In 1405, the Pope of the time granted Queen Philippa of Lancaster permission to move an order of Poor Clares to Porto. A place was made available to them near the city fortifications.
In 1416, the Bishop of Porto laid the foundation stone for the construction of the monastery in the presence of the king, the princes and the entire court. The king even financed a large part of the construction.
It was not long before the nuns were able to move into the convent in 1427. However, the church had not yet been completed at this time and a number of structural changes were made over time. For example, a new convent building was constructed and the main chapel was extended.
Miguel Francisco da Silva was responsible for the extension of the church and the new interior design from 1730-1732. The result was an impressive room with gilded carvings made of Brazilian ebony.
The order was dissolved in 1834. However, the convent remained in existence until the death of the last nun (1901). The building was then used as a hospital, while the church was preserved.
It shimmers in gold
The church itself is actually quite simple. The single-nave room, whose main entrance is on the northern side, ends with a choir.
However, the interior is anything but simple. As we walk slowly through the nave, we can listen to beautiful music. We are almost alone in the church and the atmosphere automatically makes us forget our hectic everyday lives.
The light shines through the clear panes of the church windows, illuminating individual elements.
There are numerous side altars on the sides, all of which are designed differently. The artistic carvings show masterfully carved floral and figurative elements. When I look at the small angel heads on one altar, for example, I can’t see any head that resembles another.
I can barely take in the decoration of the choir at a glance. Figures, carved columns and dreamlike ornaments – all gilded, of course – dominate the picture.
My almost obligatory glance at the deck of the church shows that the work here is also beautiful. I am very impressed by the patterns that can be seen there.
However, there are also elements in the church that are not gilded, but are no less beautiful. The choir stalls, for example, are made of dark wood. I discover an individual picture on each seat. Some look quite similar to animals.
As we step through a door, we reach a museum area via a staircase. There are some interesting exhibits to admire here. However, my highlight is something else. There is a grille here that I had already seen in the church. From there, you have an excellent view into the nave. And as you are on the second floor, the view is very impressive.
The unexpected visit was a real surprise for me. Thank you to the nice craftsmen for luring us into the courtyard.
Address:
Largo Primeiro de Dezembro, 4000-404 Porto, Portugal
Opening hours:
daily: 9 am – 1 pm and 2 pm – 6 pm (last admission 30 minutes before closing time)
Tuesday and Saturday there is a mass at 6 pm. The church closes at 5 pm.
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