Adjoining the magnificent Porto Cathedral and its Casa do Cabido (Chapter House), the cloister is a two-story quadrangle with an open courtyard at the center, surrounded by covered galleries. The architecture of the galleries combines 14th-century Gothic stone arches and columns with blue-and-white Baroque azulejo panels that cover much of the walls.
During my visit, I first walked through the western wing of the lower cloister and entered the main body of the cathedral near its entrance. My previous post Porto Cathedral: A Unique Blend of Romanesque, Gothic, and Baroque Styles describes my walk through the cathedral and its remarkable blend of Romanesque, Gothic, and Baroque architecture.
After exiting the cathedral, I entered the sacristy, a richly decorated room filled with paintings and religious artwork. I then visited an unusual chapel in the southern wing of the cloister, where two large gilded reliquary urns immediately caught my attention, before climbing the monumental staircase to the upper terrace.
After walking through all four wings of the upper terrace, I entered the rooms of the Casa do Cabido, which I have already described in my other post, Casa do Cabido: A Building for the Porto Cathedral. Upon leaving Casa do Cabido, I climbed the stairs to the southern belfry.
A Bit of History
The present Gothic cloister was completed around 1385 under Bishop D. João III, many centuries after the Romanesque cathedral had taken shape. The city of Porto contributed 1,000 dressed stones toward its completion. The cloister retained its essentially Gothic character until the cathedral complex underwent extensive remodeling during the Baroque period. Around 1726–1727, Nicolau Nasoni, the Italian-born architect and artist responsible for many important works in Porto, introduced elaborate Baroque elements that created a striking decorative contrast with the much older Gothic architecture.
The Lower Cloister: A Symmetrical Gothic Quadrangle
Stepping into the lower level of the cloister, the first thing I noticed was the symmetry of its design, with a square open courtyard surrounded by four nearly identical wings of covered galleries. Despite its modest stone construction, the symmetry along both the east-west and north-south axes gives the cloister an aesthetically pleasing and well-balanced appearance.
Captured from the south terrace of the cloister, this view shows the arcade on the lower level surrounding the courtyard with its crucifix. The arcade on the opposite side (north side) adjoins the main body of the Porto Cathedral. The crucifix has a figure of the Virgin Mary that faces cathedral.
As seen in the image, each bay of the arcade has trefoil (three-lobed) pointed arches on slender paired colonnettes, with an oculus (round window) above. Between each group of arches, a solid buttress pier projects into the courtyard, rising from the ground to the roof line. Unlike a true flying buttress, which spans open space with an arch, this is a solid mass of masonry built directly against the wall, helping to counter the outward thrust of the vaulted ceiling above the arcade.
Rib-Vaulted Arcade with Azulejo Panels
The arcades of the cloister showcase fine Gothic vaulting, with stone ribs converging at bosses on the ceiling, whereas the blue-and-white azulejo tile panels that adorn the walls were crafted in the Baroque style during the 18th century — a testament to the harmonious blend of medieval architecture with later Portuguese decorative art.
The left image shows a corridor of the gallery, with the wall on the right covered with azulejo panels and the left side opening toward the courtyard through arches separated by slender colonnettes. On the ceiling, stone ribs converge at carved bosses. Notice also the patterns on the floor. Darker circular medallions radiate trapezoidal shapes, creating a geometric pattern that fittingly complements the architecture and artwork surrounding it.
The image on the right shows a front view of the azulejo panel seen in the left image. The cloister walls are covered with seven such azulejo panels in total, all attributed to the tile master Valentim de Almeida and dating from the early 18th century.
The azulejo tile mural on the right image depicts a scene from the Song of Songs, an Old Testament book attributed to King Solomon, written as a love poem between two lovers and long read allegorically as a symbol of divine love.
The panel is accompanied by Latin inscriptions quoting the biblical text, including references to the “Tower of David“ and the “mountain of myrrh,” both illustrated in the image above the central figures. A decorative border of cherubs (winged angels) and scrollwork (curved shapes resembling scrolls) encloses the composition top and bottom, typical of the Baroque tile work found throughout the cloister.
Note: Latin translations with assistance from Claude (Anthropic)
Latin inscriptions from the tile panel, with source verses and translations.
- “Mille clipei pendent ex ea” — “A thousand shields hang from it” — Song of Songs 4:4 (describing the beloved’s neck as being like the Tower of David, hung with shields) — Illustrated by the fortified tower/castle at the top of the panel
- “Vadam ad montem mirrhae et ad collem thuris” — “I will go to the mountain of myrrh and the hill of frankincense” — Song of Songs 4:6 — Illustrated by the smoking mountain in the background
- “Ecce tu pulcher es dilecte mi et decorus” — “Behold, you are beautiful, my beloved, and pleasant” — Song of Songs 1:16 (the bride speaking to the bridegroom)
- “Ecce tu pulchra es amica mea… sicut turris David collum tuum” — combines “Behold, you are beautiful, my love” (1:15 / 4:1) with “your neck is like the tower of David” (4:4)
The Sacristy: A Baroque Interior by Nicolau Nasoni
Located off the eastern-wing of the lower cloister, the sacristy is one of the most visited spaces in Porto Cathedral. It is a stunningly beautiful work of art designed and decorated by the Italian architect and artist Nicolau Nasoni. The image below shows the main section of the sacristy with its illusionistically painted fresco on the ceiling, a gilded vestment cabinet with clock, and three magnificent paintings.
After a fire destroyed the original sacristy in 1731, Nasoni was brought in to redecorate the room. Nasoni’s fresco was designed with ten illusionistic ‘frames’ built into the plaster to hold real paintings. Several older panels, restored in 1727 by the painter Giovanni Pachini, were fitted into some of these spaces. Two more paintings of matching size were still needed to complete the scheme, so in 1734 the Florentine artist Carlo Antonio Leoni was commissioned to paint the Wedding at Cana and the Marriage of the Virgin.
If you look at the vaulted ceiling, you’ll notice what appears to be ornate molding and coffered paneling. But there is none — it’s all illusion, created by Nasoni’s illusionistic architectural techniques.
The artist responsible for the central painting depicting the Holy Family has not been identified. However, the two exquisite oil paintings flanking it, the Wedding at Cana and the Marriage of the Virgin, are the work of the Florentine artist Carlo Antonio Leoni, painted in 1734.
Below the central painting is an ebony-black vestment cabinet with an antique working clock. All the elements in the room are interspersed with decorative artwork, including flower motifs and cherubs.
Notice the cartouche with the banner at the top. It reads “SEDE VACANTE, AN. 1859.” Sede vacante means the bishopric was without a sitting bishop at the time. This cartouche appears to be a dated credit line, marking work done or restored in this part of the sacristy in 1859, during a vacancy.
This room, with its illusionistically frescoed vault, richly detailed paintings, and finely carved ebony-and-gold cabinet, radiates the opulence of that era. Portugal was at the top of the world, with colonies spanning the globe, and could afford to create a magnificent work of art like this.
The image below is the middle section of the sacristy, with continuation of the artwork and illusionistic fresco started in the main section.
At the center is the gilded doorway, framed in marble with a richly decorated lintel and pediment. Flanking the pediment are two beautifully framed 17th–18th century oil paintings. The painting on the left depicts the Visitation, showing Mary’s embrace with her cousin Elizabeth surrounded by attendant figures, and the right shows the Adoration of the Magi, depicting the Christ Child receiving the kneeling magi and their gifts.
Below the paintings and on either side of the doorway is a row of small oval and rectangular portrait panels, likely depicting saints or apostles, and the dark wood cabinetry that runs along the base of the room.
At the far end of the sacristy, opposite the main section with the vestment cabinet, stands a devotional altar centered on a crucifix. As shown in the image below, the gilded niche surrounding it is carved in talha dourada, radiating gilded rays behind the figure of Christ, with an inscribed plaque set into the base beneath the cross. Three tall arched windows above flood this end of the room with natural light, a contrast to the more enclosed feel of the main sacristy wall.
Framed oil paintings continue along the side walls here, alongside the same style of small saint panels and dark wood cabinetry seen elsewhere in the room, tying this end of the sacristy visually to the rest of the space even as it serves its own distinct devotional purpose.
Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Piedade
Opening off the south wing of the lower cloister, the Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Piedade (Our Lady of Piety) has a 17th-century altarpiece combining Mannerist and Baroque elements.
At the center is a Pietà-style sculpture depicting the Virgin Mary holding the body of Christ after the Crucifixion. Flanking the altarpiece are two statues of saints. The figure on the right is identified by the inscription on its base as São Aleixo (Saint Alexius), while the saint on the left remains unidentified. These statues were not displayed in these positions in earlier photographs of the chapel.
The lateral walls have large wooden doors, while the remaining wall surfaces are covered with 18th-century blue-and-white azulejo panels. In the foreground are two elaborately carved and gilded reliquary urns containing the relics of Saints Aurelius and Pacificus. The urns are a relatively recent addition to this location; earlier photographs show wooden benches occupying this part of the chapel.
The Upper Cloister: Terraces Above the Courtyard
After visiting the Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Piedade, I climbed a Baroque granite staircase designed by Nicolau Nasoni to the upper level of the cloister. Unlike the enclosed galleries below, the upper level consists of open terraces overlooking the central courtyard, providing a different perspective of the Gothic quadrangle. Walking around all four wings also offers a closer view of the upper-level azulejo panels and the surrounding architecture of the cathedral complex.
In the view shown in the image, the walls lined with azulejo murals of the cloister’s terrace meet at the southwest corner of the cloister. The door visible in this corner is the entrance to the chapter rooms, located on the upper level of Casa do Cabido, which is attached to the western facade of the cathedral. At the other end of this room is the staircase leading up to the bell towers.
The murals on the walls of the terrace, depicting scenes from Ovid’s Metamorphoses, are an impressive work of art. The tilework is attributed by various sources to either Valentim de Almeida, who also created the lower cloister’s biblical tiles, or to a tile-maker named António Vidal, though the attribution to Vidal is not well-documented. Its beautiful figures, urns, cherubs, and countryside vignettes set within ornate scrollwork cartouches are pleasing to the eye.
In contrast, the azulejo tilework on the lower level (below the terrace) is enclosed within the arches of the arcade and depicts biblical themes, the Song of Songs and the life of the Virgin Mary.
Captured from the lower level of the cloister, this close-up view shows the northwest corner where the cloister meets the bell tower of Porto Cathedral. Both floors of the cloister, along with the courtyard and the crucifix standing at its center, are visible. On the lower-level galleries, the walls of each bay have trefoil arcades and oculi windows. On the upper terrace, the wall on the left is lined with azulejo tilework, and on the right is the south side wall of the cathedral.
Rising behind the cloister, the tower’s fortified upper stage features a battlemented turret supported on a corbelled arch, a detail that reflects the cathedral’s fortress-like character, a rarity among Portuguese cathedrals. A carved stone cross is set into the tower face near the top.
A Quiet Contrast
The cloister of Porto Cathedral offers a quiet contrast to the immensity and grandeur of the cathedral, with its vast nave and dazzling high altar. However, just like the cathedral, architectural and artistic elements from different periods coexist within the same space. The 14th-century Gothic arches and columns provide the framework, while the Baroque azulejos along the galleries, paintings and gilded woodwork in the sacristy, and later additions reflect the changes that took place over the following centuries. Rather than diminishing the original Gothic architecture, these additions have given the cloister the distinctive character.
Explore More About Porto Cathedral and Cloister
- Porto Cathedral: A Unique Blend of Romanesque, Gothic, and Baroque Styles
- Casa do Cabido: The Building for the Porto Cathedral Chapter
- Northwest Corner – Gothic Arcade Meets the Bell Tower
- Terrace Corner with Azulejo Murals
- Porto Cathedral Cloister: Azulejo Panel Depicting Song of Songs Scene
- Porto Cathedral Cloister: Rib-Vaulted Arcade with Azulejo Panels
- Porto Cathedral: West Façade with Rose Window and Twin Bell Towers
Explore Seville Cathedral
- Seville Cathedral – An awe-inspiring architectural marvel
- Sala Capitular – The Chapter House of the Seville Cathedral
- Sacristía Mayor – The Main Sacristy of the Seville Cathedral
- La Giralda: A harmonious blend of Moorish and Renaissance architectural styles
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