From the novel to the baroque
The historical center of Porto immerses you in the typical urbanism of a medieval city where you will walk through narrow streets, vaulted passages, flights of stairs and squares, such as the Praça Da Ribeira, whose contours have remained unchanged since the 12th century. In the 14th century, the city and the port were protected by the imposing "Fernandine walls", the remains of which can be seen. Romanesque and Gothic styles are proudly displayed in the cathedrals and churches, which are symbols of the ideological reconquest. In the Douro and Minho regions, most of the churches maintain the sobriety of the Romanesque, while in the larger cities, the churches gain in height and decorative richness. In Porto, this evolution is clearly visible: the cathedral, which looks like a fortress, is in Romanesque style, while the church of San Francisco and its superb rose window reveal the richness of the Gothic style. Indissociable from medieval Portugal, don't miss the castles of Lamego and Guimaraes in the vicinity of Porto, with their imposing crenellated silhouettes. In Porto, the Renaissance is expressed in a mannerist vocabulary as shown by the church of De Grilos with its facade, certainly austere, but very scenographic. In Vila Nova de Gaia, the monastery Da Serra Do Pilar impresses by the originality of the circular plan of its church and its cloister with 36 Ionic columns. The city is then transformed into a teeming and exuberant baroque city. Under the pencil strokes of the Tuscan architect Niccoló Nasoni, Porto is adorned with gold and earthenware. Everywhere are displayed the famous azulejos - as on the facade of the church of St. Ildefonse - and examples of talha dourada, gilded wood carvings surrounded by torso columns and canopies. The Torre dos Clerigos and its church, works of Nasoni, have even earned Porto the title of "most baroque of Portuguese cities". In the surroundings of Porto, don't miss the Casa Mateus, the little Versailles of Vila Real; and the beautiful Bom Jesus de Braga church, with its magnificent gardens and monumental staircase.
From Neoclassicism to Art Deco
Under the English influence, Porto became neoclassical. Among the great buildings of the time, the Hospital of Santo Antonio is undoubtedly the most beautiful, but the most famous is the British Factory, a vast neo-Palladian building. To discover the architecture linked to the wines of Porto, go to the Douro Valley, which is home to superb quintas, these large properties with immaculate facades standing proudly in the middle of the vineyards, themselves laid out in terraces and tiers thanks to an ingenious stone architecture! Then, renewing its sense of staging, the city will decorate its facades with azulejos, and transform its streets into "calçada portuguesa" with black and white cobblestones arranged to create amazing patterns. At the turn of the century, the city acquired jewels of metal architecture. The Ponte Dona Maria - designed by Gustave Eiffel - and the Ponte Dom Luis I - with its double deck and 170-meter long metal arch - are famous examples. And don't be fooled by the neoclassical lines of the Palacio da Bolsa, because inside it is the beautiful Courtyard of Nations, with an amazing glass roof supported by visible metal pillars. The beginning of the 20th century was marked by the curves and intertwining of Art Nouveau, of which you can admire beautiful examples on Santa Catarina Street and 31 de Janeiro Street. The Café Majestic, with its richly ornamented façade and decorated ceilings, and the Lello Bookstore, with its superb glass roof and façade combining Gothic and modernist elements, are the proudest representatives. A few years later, it was Art Deco that marked the city. The great architect of the time was José Marques Da Silva, to whom we owe the Casa Serralves. Its pink silhouette, mixing curves and straight lines, evokes that of an ocean liner. This style can be found in other famous buildings in the city, such as the Batalha cinema or the Coliseum of Porto, which can be recognized by their portholes and silhouettes reminiscent of masts and fins!
Contemporary Porto
The Tribunal da Relaçao do Porto is a good example of this grand mixture of modernism and classicism that was very popular during the Salazar dictatorship. During the post-war period, the city also built many housing and service buildings adopting the simple and austere volumes inherited from Le Corbusier. But very quickly, two personalities came to break these modernist codes, proposing a human-sized architecture, all light, sobriety and elegance: Alvaro Siza and Eduardo Souto de Moura. The two men worked together on the renewal of the city, as shown by the renovation of Avenida dos Aliados, with its refined perspective. They also left their mark on the city's subway stations. Souto de Moura designed 14 of them, while Siza was "content" with the Sao Benta Station, a luminous mix of glass, steel and concrete. Siza also built the city's School of Architecture, a fine example of aesthetic rationalism, and the Serralves Foundation for Contemporary Art, an astonishing concrete and steel structure. Near Porto, Souto de Moura designed the Braga City Stadium, which he built against the rock face of the surrounding quarry, a perfect illustration of his minimalism and care for the link with the environment. The Casa da Música is the work of Rem Koolhaas, who designed an ultra-modern structure that is full of references to the country's architectural history: the organs are adorned with talha dourada, as in the great Baroque era, and the azulejo decorations recall the façades of the 19th century. The futuristic passenger terminal at Leixoes airport, designed by Luis Pedro Silva, was awarded the prize for best building of the year in 2017! Today, Porto vibrates to the rhythm of its young architects - whose elegant creations are a nod to the works of Siza and Souto de Moura - and of its designers, who find in the industrial and industrious city a marvelous field of experimentation to bring together art and craft!
