Capela das Almas in Porto is famous for its blue-and-white azulejos depicting stories from the lives of St. Catherine of Alexandria and St. Francis of Assisi. A closer look at these remarkable panels reveals scenes of faith, miracles, martyrdom, and centuries-old Christian artistic traditions.
Porto’s six bridges across the Douro River offer a fascinating journey through nearly 150 years of architecture and engineering. From the historic iron arches of Maria Pia and Dom Luís I to the modern concrete bridges of São João, Freixo, and Infante D. Henrique, each bridge reflects a different period in the growth of Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia.
The 14th-century Gothic cloister of Porto Cathedral surrounds a symmetrical courtyard with elegant stone arcades and striking Baroque azulejo panels. Its lower galleries provide access to Nicolau Nasoni’s richly decorated Sacristy and the Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Piedade, while the upper terraces offer a different perspective of this historic cathedral complex.
The Casa do Cabido was built for the Cathedral Chapter of Porto Cathedral and contains some of the cathedral’s most interesting rooms. Its upper floor includes the former Archive Room and magnificent Chapter House, richly decorated with Baroque azulejos, sculptures of saints, and an extraordinary painted wooden ceiling. On the middle floor, the Treasure Room preserves vestments, liturgical books, reliquaries, monstrances, crosses, and other ceremonial objects used at the cathedral over the centuries.
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