Porto-Churches

Churches and Monestary

Porto has many, many churches. We spent time in two of them, the Monument Church of St. Francis and the Cathedral of Porto.

The St. Francis Church is known for its Gothic architecture from the late 14th century. The church has a very ornate Baroque interior with outstanding examples of gilded wood carved altar pieces throughout. Adjacent to it is the St. Francis Museum which is notable for its catecombs.

The Cathedral of Porto is a very large church built on a hill in the center of Porto. Construction began during the 12th century, but it was rebuilt and renovated numerous times throughout the centuries. The exterior is in the Romanesque style, but through renovations it has a mix of architectural styles.

Perched atop the highest hill in the area is the Monastery of Serra do Pilar. It is located in Vila Nova de Gaia on the opposite side of the Douro River from Porto. The monastery is situated on an outcrop overlooking the Luís I Bridge and the historic center of Porto. Dating from the mid 16th century, it has been used as a military stronghold, and today there are miliary facilities adjacent to the church and cloisters. When we were there the church was closed, presumably because of Covid-19.

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