OPORTO

● Oporto is a city located in the northwest of Portugal

● Name: Oporto originated the country’s name, Portugal

● Located close to the riverbank of Douro

● Geographical aspects: riverbank, close to the river (flat area), and the top (where the people
settled)

Early Peoples

● The primitive core of the city developed around the Cathedral (located on the Pena Ventosa
Hill) – it is possible to see the river down below

● The first evidence of human occupation in Oporto dated from the Bronze Age, in the 8 th
century BC – these evidences proved that this was an important trading centre

 These evidences were found in excavations in the Pena Ventosa Hill

● Megalithic and Lusitanian houses – where the cathedral stands nowadays, used to be a
Lusitanian house

● The Romans entered the Peninsula in 218 BC and conquered Oporto in 74 BC.

 At the time, Oporto was not the most important town in the territory, but it had the
harbour that gave it more importance – the Romans developed the harbour allowing a
connection with Rome
 Oporto became an important commercial port in the trade between Olissipo and Bracara
Augusta
 The region was deeply changed, mainly in organisation, economic, religious, and
political terms
 During the Roman period, Oporto grew and expanded to the Ribeira area
 Material evidence:
o Casa do Infante (down below on Ribeira) – here it is possible to see a Roman
mosaic from the 4th century
o Important vestiges in Campanhã and Angeiras related to the fish salting
industry and ceramic
o A Roman house called “villae” in Campanhã

● Germanic Invasions, 5th century

  Alans and Suevi – the Suevi established in Braga and Oporto was raised to an
episcopal siege (1st bishop in 585 – Constâncio)
 The first wall of the city is believed to have been built by the Romans or Suevi
 Visigoths – formation of the Visigoth kingdom

● Moorish invasion in 711

 Almost the entire Iberian Peninsula came under the Moorish control. Only Asturias, a
small territory, continued as Christian

Early Middle Ages/Reconquest

● It was from Asturias that the Christian Reconquest started to be organised

● The Reconquest reached Oporto in 868. Vímara Pered took the city in the name of Afonso III
of Asturias

 Vímara Peres was a Galician nobleman; in Terreiro da Sé there is a statue of him made
in the 1960’

● After reconquering the northern Douro region, Vímara Peres established the Country of
Portucale, which was given to the king’s daughter, Theresa and his son-in-law, Henry of
Burgundy

● Countess Theres gave the city of Oporto to Sir Hugo – a monk who came from the Order of
Cluny (France) to become the Bishop of the city (in 1114)

 There isn’t a written document to prove the donation and the limits of the donation
which resulted in several disputes. The Bishop defended that the limits were until
Ribeira, due to the importance of the harbour

● Sir Hugo gave a charter to the city of Oporto in 1123 and created a community of secular
clergy. He also collected taxes (the nobility couldn’t spend more than three days in Oporto)

 Secular clergy: the monks live among the community and not in closure
 Regular clergy: the monks live confined and in close monastic, and under a certain rule

● In 1128, Afonso Henriques reconquered the territory and expanded the county southwards

● Oporto was a city of bishops – they were administrative lords and appointed judges that had
administrative powers and collected taxes

 They were allies of Afonso Henriques; however, they had some problems with the next
kings
  Sir Hugo was followed by João Peculiar (who helped Afonso Henriques in the
recognition of Portugal as an independent country; Pedro de Rabaldes and Pedro Pitões
 In the metro station of Martim Moniz there are two images of the bishops João Peculiar
and Pedro Pitões
 Several conflicts broke out between the bishops and Sancho I, Afonso II, Sancho II and
Afonso III
o “Encroaching” powers of the kings vs immunities of the bishops
o The boundaries of the lands belonging to the bishop
o Conflicts led to the intervention of Rome to defend the church (against the
kings)

● Still in the 12th century, the construction works started on the wall that defended the Pena
Ventosa Hill and on the New Cathedral

● Reign of Afonso III

 The king granted a charter to Gaia in 1255 expecting to attract taxes once the taxes in
Oporto were collected by the bishops. The charter was also a way of developing the
Gaia harbour and attract commerce to it
 Centralisation policy – the king demanded that the former land of the crown to return to
the state – the bishop complained about this to Pope Clement IV and the king ended up
excommunicated

● 14th century – Oporto consolidated a position as a thriving commercial town

 The clergy, the manufactures cobblers, tanners, butchers, iron smiths and merchants
allocated to specific streets
 1352 – Afonso Martins Alho negotiated a trade agreement with England
o England was a destination for wine, olive oil, fruit, honey and wood
(Portuguese products)
o 1353 – Commercial Treaty – free trade and fishing rights on the English coast)
 The nobility, during this period couldn’t stay in Oporto for more than three days; they
also couldn’t sleep over in certain streets (Mercadores and Eiras); they couldn’t hold
any kind of property in Oporto
 Oporto was the 4th town of Portugal, and was the trading post of a vast hinterland
(whole north to the Beiras)

Middle Ages/Clerical Power vs King’s Power

● Reign of Afonso IV
  The king bought lands near the riverbank in order to establish the customshouse
(almaçem) without the permission of the Church, since he was convinced that this
specific area didn’t belong to the bishops
 This case was taken to Avignon – Pope Innocent decided that arbitrators would be
named to solve the situation – after 13 sessions, it was decided that king Afonso IV was
in charge of the houses and warehouses he ordered, but he had to pay the forum to the
bishop
 The wish of controlling the commerce and money was granted to the king
 Development of the urban space; the city was divided by manufacture houses;
mercantile expansion to Flanders, England, and France (figs, olive oil, wine, cork and
salt)

● After the dynastic crisis (as a consequence of the death of Ferdinand I), John, Master of the
Order of Avis, was recognised as king as John I. He married Philippa of Lancaster
(granddaughter of Edward III of England) in the Cathedral of Oporto

 This marriage, in 1387, straightened the Anglo-Portuguese alliance, that had been
formalised with the Treaty of Windsor

● The city of Oporto, in 1405, passed into the possession of the crown and a new phase, in
terms of administration, began in the city

The Discoveries

● Prince Henry, the Navigator – a central figure in the Portuguese expansions, was born and
baptised in Oporto in 1394

 His father, John I, travelled to Oporto on a regular basis, despite living in Lisbon
 There is a statue of Henry, the Navigator, in Ribeira

● The Portuguese expansion began in 1415, with the conquest of Ceuta, in the North of Africa.
This conquest is linked to the name “tripeiros” or “tripe eaters” as the Oporto people are known

 Before departing to Ceuta, the Oporto people gave all their meat to the navigators and
kept only the tripes to themselves to eat. This originated their nickname and the name of
the most typical dish of the city

● Oporto is also linked to other navigators – Pêro Vaz Caminha, who accompanied Pedro
Álvares Cabral, on the voyage to Brazil, was born in this city and held various posts in the city
life
  Other navigators were born in Oporto: Cristóvão Rebelo, João de Grijó and Fernão
Lopes

● The taracenos, important shipbuilding yards were located on the banks of the Douro River

19th century

● Continental blockade (1806) – France instigated a continental blockade on England (Portugal

refused)

● Early 19th century – French Invasions

 1807 – 1st invasion (Junot)

o The Royal Family fled to Brazil to escape the invasions
 1809 – 2nd invasion (Soult)
o Soult entered Portugal through Chaves
o The Bishop António de São José de Castro ordered a defensive line divided into
three zones from the Forte de São João to Campanhã
o Tragedy of Ponte das Barcas: the population panicked and tried to run to the left
bank of the river, but the bridge collapsed, and several people were slaughtered
 Battle of Oporto – the troops with Arthur Wellesley took the city
 May 1809 – expulsion of the French
o Rua de São Miguel (ossadas de soldados franceses)
 1810 – last invasion by Massena
o Linha das Torres were built
o Battle of Buçaco
o Final Battle of Waterloo in 1814
o Convention of Sintra (Portugal was represented by Beresford)

● With the French Invasions, Portugal entered a wave of discontent caused by several factors

 The presence of the Royal Family in Brazil (which left Portugal to be seen as a colony)
 In 1815, Brazil was elevated to kingdom
 The English presence left Portugal as a protectorate of England
o This led to a revolt within the army that was eventually discovered and
condemned to death (Gomes Freire de Andrade)
 Trade losses in Portugal (since Brazil was now a kingdom)
  In this environment, liberal ideas began to spread in Portugal with greater vigour,
especially through newspapers published in Paris and London, by Portuguese political
exiles

● 1818 – formation of Sinédrio (secret association that wished to instigate a revolt for the
implantation of liberalism)

● August 24th, 1820 – military pronouncement in Oporto and beginning of the liberal revolution

● 1821

 It is desired to adopt a constitution

 Constitutional monarchy
 National sovereignty
 Enshrined individual rights and freedom
 Constitution of 1822

● 1823 onwards – Absolutists uprisings

● Civil Wat & War of the 2 Brothers (1832) – opposed the liberals (D. Pedro IV) and the
absolutists (D. Miguel)

 Peter VI needed to interface in Portugal because king Miguel was imposing an

absolutist monarchy
 The liberals came from Terceira Island in the Azores and landed in Praia do Pampelido,
from where they marched on Oporto, arriving on July 9th
 The liberal forces showed heroism in resisting the siege of Oporto and in recognition D.
Pedro bequeathed his hearts to the city of Oporto, which is kept in the Lapa Church
 This liberal war ended with the signing of the Convention of Evoramonte, on May 26 th,
1834
 D. Miguel (absolutist) departed into exile

● Rota do Porto Liberal

 Rua do Heroísmo, Rua do General Sousa Dias, Rua dos Mártires da Liberdade
 Praça da Liberdade
 Military Museum (preserves and publicised the military historical heritage, showing
miniatures, light weapons, and heavy artillery, as well as uniforms and equipment)
 Guedes da Silva Fonseca Casa + Igreja dos Congredados + Academia Real da Marinha
e do Comércio
  Soares dos Reis National Museum (collects and preserves works of art + residence and
headquarters of D. Pedro IV)
 Igreka de Nossa Senhora da Lapa (since 1835, the church has welcomed the heart of D.
Pedro IV donated by himself to the city of Oporto)

Industrial Development: Industrial City and Factories

● 1852 – Regeneration (with the victory of liberalism there was freedom for the individual and
the formation of a capitalist style labour market)

● The 19th century was a turning point for the city, with great politics but also social ans cultural
changes, with industrialisation and progress

 Public lighting was installed

 The railway line was installed
o In 1864 with the Gaia-Lisbon connection
o Later with the construction of D. Maria Bridge in 1877
 Public transport
 Development of industries (wool, silk and cotton; glass, hats, shipbuilding, tobacco,
shoes) and increase of factories
 Iron architecture
 New industries appeared – farmers/peasants were attracted to Oporto – creation of
living quarters, “ilhas” (working class)

● Demography boom – the city grew in space

 New roads and public parks were opened

 Second city after Lisbon

● Oporto Commercial Association – voice of traders’ economic interests

● Oporto Industrial Association – promotion of industrial teaching and dissemination of

technical knowledge, for example, through industrial exhibitions

● Oporto became known as the “city of work”

Great Exhibitions: from 1851 to Oporto’s Industrial Exhibition

● End of the 18th century – French exhibitions

● London’s Industrial Exhibitions

 Created due to efforts of Prince Albert of Saxe Coburg Gotha (cousin of the Portuguese
king Ferdinand II)
  Iron and glass started to be used as a construction material
 Recognition of industriousness; spirit of inventiveness and entrepreneurship
 Concerned with progress and moral/material development of working classes
 Portuguese presence in London – raw materials and agriculture produce
 Techniques of display – the development of the notion of showing

● Oporto’s Industrial Exhibition designed by Dillen Jones and engineer W. Shields (English) in
1865

 The first industrial exhibition held in the Iberian Peninsula

 The exhibition was organised in the Crystal Palace (inspired in the London’s Crystal
Palace) – made of iron and glass structure
 Industrial and commerce innovations and achievements displayed (four areas – raw
materials, machines, manufactures and fine arts)
 Different areas – show room, museum, gallery of paintings, reading room (culture,
economy, industry, and entertainment)
 The palace was replaced by a new version, made of concrete in 1951

Contemporary Period/1934 Colonial Exhibition

● Context of Colonialism – European countries owned and controlled areas from other
continents, taking advantage of several materials and exploring the local community

● It was the 1st Colonial Exhibition in Portugal and it was sponsored by the Pre-Colonial
Movement of Oporto which had the aim of proving that the European countries had an
important role in the native populations of those territories

 Total of visitors – 1.300.00 (between mid-June and September)

● The Exhibition was officially inaugurated in the Exchange Palace by it was opened to the
population in the gardens of the Crystal Palace

● Several events were organised: sporting events, excursions and soirées & CP (the biggest
company of trains in Portugal) organised several excursions to Oporto (5000 passengers in 21
trains)

● Posters – compared the dimensions of the Portuguese empire with other European countries

● Attractions – zoo, theatre, cinema and even a train. People from the colonies were brought
and showed to the public. During a visit, the visitors could also admire and study men, women
and children that were housed in “typical” villages
● Commemorative album – included photos by Domingos Alvão (nude photos were the most
famous and admired) and also portraits by Eduardo Malta (very famous portrait of Salazar –
nowadays in the Caramulo Museum)

● The families that were shown at the exhibition were carefully chosen and brought to Portugal
from their native countries. These natives are always dressed in a way to enhance Portugal’s
flag and its main symbols)

● Nowadays we see this as a regime of discrimination and exploitation of other people

Nowadays

● Examples: Markets, Cemeteries, Casa da Música by Rem Koolhaas, Alfândega, Leixões

Harbour, Gardens, etc.

● 1996 – the city centre of Oporto was classified as World Heritage Site by UNESCO

OPORTO – HERITAGE

The Cathedral

● Started to be constructed in the 12th century

● Romanesque and Gothic building

● Suffered Mannerist and Baroque remodelling, during the 17th and 18th centuries

● Granite

● Patroness – Our Lady of Assumption (longstanding devotion and cult)

● Two phases of construction:

 1st phase – French influences

 2nd phase – promoted by D. Fernando Martins
o Works guided by Master Soeiro Anes (who constructed the high capitals of the
nave)

● On the south side of the church is the Casa do Cabido (right next to the Cathedral), where the
treasure of the cathedral is kept – Sacred Art Museum (18 th century)

● The exterior still presents the aspect of a church-fortress

Façade
  The central body of the façade has suffered some reconstruction works, especially in the
lower part, in 1722, according to the inscription presented on the door
 The rose window from, the 13th century, remains from the first phase of construction
 The belltowers were added in the 18th century

Interior

 Latin cross shape with three naves, transept, and a rectangular main chapel
 Near the entrance, there are holy water sinks, in red marble and sustained by a human
figure of dark marble – commissioned by the Bishop D. João de Sousa
 The lower lantern of the cruise was constructed in the 2 nd hald of the 16th century
 In the main choir, it was installed a pipe organ (1985, by George Jann)
 The accentuated verticalism on the nave translated into the thick pillars
 The stained-glass windows were ordered to Ricardo Leone, in 1935

Main Chapel

 Mannerist period – 17th century

 Work of the bishop D. Gonçalo de Morais (his coat-of-arms can be seen together with
the image of Our Lady of Assumption)
 Niche with an image of Our Lady of Assumption (patroness of the Cathedral)
 Coloured marble cladding
 Covering of the walls with perspective paintings (something new) – carried out by the
Italian architect Nicolau Nasoni
 Gilded altarpiece – first example of Joan Baroque in Oporto
 Tombs of some bishops – the subsoil was used as a crypt
 Two organs
Transept

 1719
 Left-hand side – image of Our Lady of Vandoma (patroness of the city of Oporto, and
celebrated in October 11th)
 Right-hand side – image in stone of Our Lady of Bramble
o The invocation to Our Lady of Bramble dates back to the construction of this
cathedral, and it is even known the devotion of queen Mafalda (wife of Afonso
Henriques) to Our Lady of Bramble
o Legend – upon the reconquest with Afonso Henriques, Our Lady of Bramble
appeared to him on a field with brambles, and the king and his wife became
devoted to this Lady
 Chapel of the Holy Sacrament
o Is framed by a portal from the 18th century
o The walls of the chapel are covered with stucco
o Silver altar – executed in three phases – considered a fundamental work of
Portuguese gold smithery
o The front of the altar was made by Pedro Francisco Francês, the goldsmith of
Oporto
o In the centre, there are big medallions that illustrate the Four Evangelists
o On the top frieze, the smaller medallions represent the scenes of the life of
Christ
 The other Baroque chapel is dedicated to Saint Peter, and it has small images of Saint
Jerome, Saint Barbara, Saint Charles and the Lady of Angels

Cloisters

 1385, by the Bishop John III

 Influences of the Old Cathedral of Coimbra
 It is constituted by 16 pointed arches
 The capitals are decorated with vegetalist motifs and the use of the region’s granite
provokes an environment of vigour
 In the middle of the cloisters, there is a medieval cruise
 Upper gallery of the cloister – 18th century glazed tiles with a hunting scene
 Different chapels
o Chapel of Our Lady of Expectation
o Chapel of Our Lady of Conception
 o Chapel of Our Lady of Hope
 Old Cloister
o Shape of an irregular polygon
o Known as the Bishop’s cemetery
o Archaeological elements

Sacristy

 From the decoration of the walls with fresco paintings by Nicolau Nasoni there isn’t
much left, due to the humidity of the space
 Floor is made of marble, just like the tables and the washbasins
 Monumental watch made by Miguel Francisco da Silva, with a painting that represents
the Holy Family, by Giovanni Battista Pachini

Casa dos 24

 Fernando Távora
 13th century
 Constructed in a way to respect the structure and the volume
 Here were the assemblies where the inhabitants voted to the 24 men that
represented the city

Church of Saint Francis

● A religious devotee donated a piece of land in Redondela (situated on the north side of the hill
adjacent to Miragai) to the disciples of Saint Francis, that had other monasteries spread across
Portugal. However, the Franciscans weren’t welcomed in the city of Oporto. They had to accept
a proposal to leave Oporto and found another monastery in Gaia. Later, in 1224, Pope Innocent
V obliged the bishops of Oporto to stop harassing the Franciscans and they were able to return
to the previous site in Redondela and build here a Monastery

● The building started to be constructed in 1245, in a Gothic style

● It was reconstructed in 1383 and only completed in 1410

● There were some further reconstruction works in 1425 – under the patronage of John I

 John I decided to stay in this Monastery at the time of his marriage to Philippa of
Lancaster (daughter of John of Gaunt)

● The architecture in the north of Portugal was significantly Romanesque so this new style
appeared as a novelty in this region of the country
● 15th and 16th centuries – some noble families from Oporto (the Sá family, the Brandão family
and the Carneiro family) chose this church as their pantheon

● 17th and 18th centuries – the interior of the church was covered with gilded carved wood
decoration – expressing the richness of the city – this new decoration hid the original structure

● 1833 – a fire, caused by the Miguelite forces, destroyed the old cloisters and part of the
church

 The only element of the original façade that remained was the rose window

● The side porch facing the river, although it is damaged by the weather, still has the original
design, columns and pointed arches

● 1996 – part of the World Heritage Site of Oporto by UNESCO

● The church has lost its importance as a religious building and nowadays it can only be visited

Interior

 Three aisles (the central nave being the highest one)

 Is illuminated by the rose window and by the openings above the side aisles
 When entering the main door and on the left-hand side below the choir, is the burial
chapel of Luis Álvares de Sousa

Transept

 To the left – Chapels of St. Benedict, St. Anthony, and St. Francis
 To the right – Chapels of St. Bonnaventura, the Three Wise Men and Our Lady of the
Lamps
 On the top right-hand side is the chapel of the Carneiro family, founded by John
Carneiro. This chapel was the work of the architect Diogo of Castile and a ribbed vault
adorned with carved flower-work covers this chapel

Main Chapel

 On the floor there are seven tombs

 The altarpiece has a painting from the third quarter of the 16 th century which represents
Our Lord’s baptism with the Eternal Father blessing the act and an unidentified figure

● On the aisle on the left-hand side there are altarpieces of Our Lady of Mercy, the Tree of
Jesse, and Our Lady of the Rose

 The altarpiece that represents the Tree of Jesse is adapted from an earlier work.
 o Made by Filipe da Silva and António Gomes, in the 18th century
o The Tree is carved in multicoloured wood
o The tree raises from the body of Jesse
o Top of the image – the Virgin holding the Child
o Below – Our Lady of Good Death (Christian understanding of life as a passage)
o José is also represented
o The tree has different meanings
 Wholeness, strength, fertility, connection between the earth and sky,
presence of God in the creation
 Roots, branches, flowers, and fruits – connection of all levels of the
universe – renewal of life
 Christianity – the trees are important in the Bible
 Tree of life – cosmic meaning
 Verticality – position of Man and Life

● On the right-hand side of the church, there is a niche that contains a statue of St. Francis
carved out of a block of granite

 Below this niche there is a medieval Romanesque sarcophagus, and on the top, there is
a statue of a knight wearing a loose cape and holding a sword in his left hand

● In the right-hand aisle there is a altarpiece in a chapel dedicated to the martyred Saints of
Morocco, the altarpiece of Our Lady of Solitude

 The altarpiece of the martyred Saints of Morocco is the work of the wood-carver
Manuel Pereira da Costa Noronha
 The altarpiece of Our Lady of Solitude is the work of the wood-carver Francisco Pereira
Campanhã