Modern painting displayed beneath the wooden ceiling
The image shows part of the former Archive Room (Cartório) of the Porto Cathedral Chapter, the first of three adjoining rooms encountered after entering the Casa do Cabido from the entrance near the southwest corner of the upper cloister terrace. The Chapter House occupies the middle section, while the Antecabido is located at the northern end.
The Cartório once served as the records office of the Cathedral Chapter, where documents relating to the administration of the cathedral, its properties, income, privileges, legal affairs, and other institutional matters were preserved. These records were important not only for administration but also for documenting and protecting the Chapter’s rights and possessions.
Displayed on the western wall, the modern painting shown in the image belongs to the present museum display and is not part of the original decoration of the Cartório. The highly stylized composition includes a woman holding a child on the right, surrounded by winged and other figures, while several richly dressed figures occupy the left side. The imagery appears religious, but the artist, title, and precise subject of the painting have not been identified.
Unlike the adjoining Chapter House, whose elaborate wooden ceiling contains allegorical paintings, the Cartório has a more restrained geometric wooden ceiling without painted decoration. Its large central field is surrounded by sloping wooden compartments, whose geometric arrangement provides the ceiling’s principal decorative effect.
The historical documents once stored in this room are no longer kept here. The surviving records of the Porto Cathedral Chapter were eventually transferred to the Porto District Archive (Arquivo Distrital do Porto), where its centuries-old documentary collection is preserved today.
Explore More About Porto Cathedral
– Porto Cathedral: A Unique Blend of Romanesque, Gothic, and Baroque Styles
– View of the Interior Showing Romanesque Nave and the Baroque High Altar
– View of the Interior Showing Romanesque Nave and Rose Window
– West Façade with Rose Window and Twin Bell Towers
– Sanctuary with the Magnificent Baroque High Altar
– Rose Window and Pipe Organ
– The Ribbed Vault Above the Crossing
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