Footprints from the past
The whole country is dotted with witnesses of the Neolithic, like the many dolmens or antas (burial chambers) and menhirs. The most impressive of these witnesses is undoubtedly the cromlech of Almendres, not far from Évora, a circle formed by 95 stone blocks. In the coastal Douro, especially in Briteiros, you will be able to observe castros or citânias, the first groups of Celtic dwellings, composed of stone huts surrounded by walls. In Conimbriga, it is the largest Roman site of the country that you will discover. Sculptures and mosaics are impressive. In Évora stand the Corinthian columns of the Temple of Diana, one of the most famous in Portugal. It is also to the Romans that we owe the rural villas - like that of São Cucufate - which would have inspired the quintas, the large Portuguese exploitations. Finally, it is the Moors who left superb architectural imprints, such as the Castelo dos Mouros in Sintra with its irregular stonework and its imposing stature set in the rock, the mosque of Mértola with its mihrab (prayer niche pointing to Mecca) and its horseshoe-shaped openings, or the morabitos, small square buildings with a dome, found in the Algarve. The Moors have also influenced urban planning, as in the Alfama district of Lisbon or in the traditional villages where the mourarias, old districts with their maze of whitewashed houses, are reminiscent of North African medinas.
The novel of the reconquest
It is in the 12th century that the history of Portuguese architecture really begins. At that time, King Afonso I led a geographical and ideological reconquest against the Moorish invader. Romanesque art was the weapon of this policy and everywhere along the path of the reconquest, churches with clean lines and simple forms were erected. One of the most striking of these is the Church of the Charola in the convent of Tomar, called the Rotunda because of its circular plan. This was also the time of the construction of the great cathedrals. The first one was built in the north, in Braga, according to the plans of the Abbey of Cluny. In the north of the country, the buildings are mostly made of granite, a material that is hard to work, which explains the lack of detailed ornamentation. On the other hand, in the south, limestone allows a more thorough work of decorative forms. But all these buildings have in common the use of the semicircular arch, the barrel vault and the sobriety of the lines. True bastions of resistance, these buildings are often equipped with defensive works to resist the invader. It is only towards the end of the 12th century that they will lose their minimalist and fortified aspect to go towards more grandeur, as in Évora, whose cathedral is twice the size of the one in Lisbon. Finally, don't miss in Bragança the Domus Municipalis, an amazing little building that is said to be the only example of Romanesque civil architecture in the country.
Gothic Splendors
Gothic art was introduced to Portugal by the great monastic orders and developed as the country entered a period of great prosperity. The Gothic style introduced new techniques - pointed arches, cross-arches, buttresses and lateral buttresses - enabling the construction of lighter, taller and brighter buildings. The country's first great Gothic building was the Santa Maria de Alcobaça monastery (1178-1222), whose layout was inspired by the abbeys of Cîteaux and Clairvaux. It impresses with its three elegant naves of equal height and high windows flooding the whole with soothing light. During this period, cathedrals were being enlarged, as in Lisbon, Braga and Porto, and the country was acquiring its most beautiful castles under the impetus of the builder king Denis I. Most were built on ancient Roman or Moorish forts. From purely defensive structures, they gradually evolved into more sophisticated edifices, in line with the evolution of combat techniques as much as with the kings' desire for comfort. One of the country's finest castles is Almourol, perched on a small islet in the River Tejo. But the great Gothic masterpiece is the monastery of Santa Maria da Vitoria (1388), better known as Batalha (the battle), built to celebrate the Portuguese victory over the Castilians at Aljubarrota. Architectural innovations abound, such as the vaulting of the chapter house without intermediate supports, or the circular ribbed vaulting without central support in the Founder's Chapel. Stained glass windows, openwork arcades and exterior ornamentation add to the building's splendor.
Manueline style
First coined in the 19th century, the term Manueline refers to a style that developed in the 15th and 16th centuries, particularly during the reign of Manuel I . The kingdom was at its political and economic peak at the time. At this time, the kingdom was at its political and economic peak and, thanks to the Great Discoveries, was nourished by influences from the four corners of the globe. This prosperity was reflected in an abundantly decorative style combining Moorish, medieval and Christian motifs, and evocations of the sea and nature. In 1490, Diego Boytac, a French-born architect and pioneer of the Manueline style, drew up plans for the Church of Jesus in Setubal, with twisted columns and vault arches in the shape of marine ropes. In Lisbon, Francisco Arruda designed the Torre de Belém, reminiscent of the Koutoubia mosque in Marrakech. Boytac designed the Mosteiro dos Jéronimos, with its stone lacework, columns combining vine leaves and marine knots, and arches reminiscent of Arab moucharabiehs, allowing visitors to see without being seen. The Capelas Imperfeitas (imperfect chapels) of the Batalha monastery, resembling oriental palaces, and the window of the Convent of Christ in Tomar, with its captain supporting two masts surrounded by ropes and coral, and its armillary spheres surrounding the coat of arms of Manuel I, are among the country's other great Manueline achievements. Not forgetting, of course, the unclassifiable Palacio Nacional de Sintra designed by Manuel I: Chinese salon, Moorish chapel, earthenware pavement and conical fireplaces make this an architectural fantasy like no other.
Renaissance and Mannerism
The Renaissance was established late and unevenly in the country and was mainly the work of foreign artists who came to temper the Gothic flamboyance by seeking a classical ideal of harmony and perfection of lines and proportions. Among them was the Spanish architect Diogo de Torralva, who designed the elegant chapel of Nossa Senhora da Conceição in Tomar. He also worked on the cloister of Dom Joao III at the Convento de Cristo in Tomar. Torralva favored a regular ordering of geometric forms. The cloister was completed by Filippo Terzi, the Italian architect who made a shift to Mannerism, a style that retained the codes of the classical Renaissance but broke with the ideal of harmony to favor changing and shifting forms. His greatest Mannerist achievement is the church of São Vicente de Fora in Lisbon, with its elaborate façade. Another great Mannerist was Afonso Avares, who built the church of São Roque, also in Lisbon, a sort of large rectangular hall strongly inspired by the Jesuits, who were then in the midst of a struggle against the Protestant Reformation and who sought to edify and educate believers through buildings that were as impressive as they were pragmatic, where everything had to be done to attract the faithful's gaze to the priest.
Baroque and rococo flames
By the early 18th century, the kingdom had won its independence from Spain, the Inquisition was retreating and gold and precious stones from Brazil were flowing in. This new period of opulence was matched by a wave of movement and architectural theatricality: the advent of Baroque, which takes its name from the Portuguese word barroco, meaning irregularly shaped pearl. Ripples, play of light and shadow, optical illusions and alternating convex and concave forms, an overabundance of decoration culminating in the talha dourada, a technique of gilded wood carving...: Baroque amazes and displeases. In Porto, Tuscan decorator and architect Nicolau Nasoni designed the Church of the Cleris, with its unique elliptical nave. He also designed the Palacio de Mateus in Vila Real, with its symmetry and play of mirrors. The Palacio de Queluz, designed by Mateus Vicente de Oliveira, is often described as Portugal's little Versailles, and boasts a sumptuous décor. Another great Baroque achievement is Mafra Palace, designed by the German Ludwig and the Hungarian Mardel. A monumental structure, the palace's sober 200 m façade contrasts with the opulence of its interior décor. The spectacular Baroque was followed by a Rococo style full of fantasy, luxuriance and sensuality, like the sanctuario do Bom Jesus do Monte in Braga, which is reached by two monumental staircases, the Staircase of the Five Senses and the Staircase of the Three Virtues, adorned with vertical fountains and statues.
Neo and romantic styles
The style favoured by the Marquis of Pombal for the reconstruction of Lisbon after the earthquake of 1755 broke with the exuberance of Rococo and favoured a return to classical canons, prefiguring the neoclassicism of the 19th century. Lisbon's great neoclassical buildings include the Palácio Nacional da Ajuda and the Dona Maria II Theatre, whose facades are reminiscent of Greco-Roman temples. A very conservative city, Porto was home to a number of English industrialists who favored this style, and boasts some very fine neoclassical buildings, such as the Santo Antonio hospital. During the 19th century, the country experienced a number of upheavals that shook its identity. Eager to rediscover their roots, the aristocracy and bourgeoisie turned to revivalismo, a kind of romantic, idealized vision of the national past, tinged with foreign influences, especially Oriental, gleaned by Portuguese artist-travelers. This marked the advent of neo styles, which lasted well into the 20th century. The most incredible example of this revivalismo is undoubtedly the Basilica of Santa Lucia in Viana, a gigantic neo-Byzantine edifice with a 57 m-high dome. Engineers also contributed to the development of metal architecture, with masterpieces of civil engineering such as Porto's Ponte Dom Luis I and Ponte Maria Pia, and Lisbon'sElevador de Santa Justa. In the early 20th century, Art Nouveau made a brief foray into the country, especially in Porto, where the elegance of this new style blended well with the neo-Moorish curves in vogue at the time. Porto's Majestic Café is one of the finest examples of Art Nouveau. It has been classified as a "building of public interest".
Contemporary Portugal
For nearly 40 years, Portugal lived under the yoke of Salazar and his military dictatorship, called Estado Novo, which used architecture as a propaganda weapon. The first achievements will be tinged with neoclassicism, also borrowing much from Art Deco and Bauhaus. The lines are sober and pure, like those of the legendary Serralves Foundation in Porto. In 1940, Salazar organized an Exhibition of the Portuguese World where traditional popular decorations were mixed with modern architecture. Then, gradually, a monumental style was established, of which the Cristo Rei in Lisbon is the most astonishing witness. It was not until the 1970s that a contemporary Portuguese architecture emerged, led by Alvaro Siza Vieira and the Porto School, which advocated a designed, elegant architecture that was concerned with the relationship with the ancient heritage. Siza, a master of purity, took care to integrate the city's heritage into his project to rebuild the Chiado district of Lisbon after the 1988 fire, which earned him the mythical Pritzker Prize. He is also responsible for the Museum of Contemporary Art in Porto and the amazing Pavilion of Portugal for the 1998 Exhibition in Lisbon. His pupil, Eduardo Souto de Moura, continues in this architectural line with the Casa das Historias Paula Rego in Cascais, all in red concrete, or the Braga stadium built for the Euro 2004, where one of the goals is leaning against the rocky wall above it. Portugal has also welcomed great names in international architecture, such as Santiago Calatrava and his superb glass and steel Oriente train station in Lisbon, or Rem Koolhaas and his Casa de Musica in Porto, a building made of ultra-modern concrete but including local traditions, such as azulejos. Preservation, rehabilitation and sustainability are today the key words of an elegant and audacious Portuguese architecture.
Made in Portugal
Portugal is a land of craftsmanship and industry. International designers and artists have long had their wares made here, popularizing the Made in Portugal label. It is from this close relationship between craft, industry and art that Portuguese design has gradually emerged. Earthenware, cork, wood, ceramics, metal and glass are all handcrafted by Portuguese designers, who revisit the codes of traditional craftsmanship with a modern twist. The Inspiring Portugal label is helping to spread the influence of this design throughout the world, as are WeWOOD, a brand specializing in cabinetmaking; Cutipol, the legendary cutlery brand found on all the world's top tables; and Vista Alegre, a company specializing in porcelain since 1824, all of which collaborate with leading designers. The Gonçalo chair, with its rounded, voluptuous forms, is one of the cult objects of Lusitanian design. In Porto, the art and design school is highly influential, and the proximity of the country's major industries makes it a privileged breeding ground for designers. In Lisbon, a visit to the Museu do Design et da Moda is a must to discover its incredible collection of furniture and objects. Don't forget to visit the LX Factory, a former industrial wasteland converted into a temple of design, and the Lisboa Design Show, a major international design fair. At the crossroads of art and craft, design also contributes to shaping the Portuguese identity.
