Porto Cathedral sits high above the banks of the Douro. It is not only the city’s main church, but also offers visitors a wonderful view of the Douro.
The Sé do Porto – its Portuguese name – is one of the most important Catholic churches on the Iberian Peninsula and the seat of the bishop of the diocese of Porto. It is surrounded by the remains of the fortifications that once protected the city.
Standing in the large square in front of the cathedral, we noticed that, unfortunately, work was being carried out on the main façade of the church. Scaffolding and tarpaulins were covering a section of the church. What a shame, because the part we could see promised a lot in terms of architecture and impressed me immensely. We were able to see the side façade without any problems. Some beautiful tile paintings in a small corridor in front of an outside altar gave us an idea of what to expect inside the church.
Porto Cathedral was built at the beginning of the 12th century. The beautiful rose windows and the nave, which have been preserved to this day, are particularly striking in the Romanesque building. Later, in the 14th century, the Gothic cloister was built. This was decorated with blue and white azulejos (tiles) in the 18th century.
Major renovations led to the construction of a new choir extension in the 17th century. This was later (in the 18th century) given the choir stalls and the outstanding murals that have been preserved to this day.
Since 1996, the cathedral, together with the old town of Porto, has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Visit to the cathedral of Porto
We enter the interior of the cathedral through a small door. There is a charge for the visit. Even those who don’t like visiting churches should not miss out on a visit. The view of the city from the tower alone is worth the visit.
We followed the signposted circular route that leads through the entire complex and up to the roof. Right at the beginning of the tour, we went into the cloister of the cathedral. The elegant Gothic cloister is clad in beautiful blue and white Portuguese tiles from the 18th century. Some of the paintings are very well preserved. I stood in front of it for quite a while and was amazed at how many details are depicted that turn the picture into a story.
There is a “treasure chamber” with many religious art objects, such as clothing, chalices, sculptures and jewelry.
The path also leads into the chancel, the chapel and some rooms of the monastery. In contrast to the rather simpler nave, these are furnished with significantly more works of art and are somewhat more sumptuous.
I particularly liked the main altar from the Baroque period. A magnificent altarpiece hangs here. The altar of the Blessed Sacrament is another highlight of the tour. It is a precious work of goldsmith’s art from the 17th and 18th centuries, made by goldsmiths from Porto.
The tour of the interior was beautiful, but I have seen churches and cathedrals that have impressed me more.
On the roof of the cathedral
A massive staircase takes us up to the roof and from there to the cathedral tower. This part of the tour was definitely the highlight of our visit.
Even from the roof area, there were some beautiful views of the city. However, these were clearly topped by the viewpoint on the church tower. From up there you have a wonderful view of the Douro with its excursion boats, you can see the masterfully built steel bridge and take a look at the old town of Porto. For us, this is one of the most beautiful viewpoints in the city.
Address:
Terreiro da Sé, 4050-573 Porto, Portugal
Opening hours:
November to March Monday – Sunday: 9 am – 5.30 pm The tower closes at 5 pm
April to October Monday – Sunday: 9 am – 6.30 pm The tower closes at 6 pm.
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