Inside Tourist Part Two, March 23, 2023

 After departing the Stock Exchange Palace it was still cool and overcast so we continued with our exploration of the interiors of several landmark buildings and hoped the sunshine would come back tomorrow.  

First stop was the Clerigos Church and Tower.  The church itself was completed in 1750 and was the first in Portugal to be laid out in an oval shaped plan.  

The wonderfully carved choir chairs were installed in 1777 with the two organs located opposite of each other were installed two years later

Next stop was the Lello Brothers Bookstore.  You have to book your 5 euro ticket through their website and choose a time you want to visit (they are in 30 minute increments).   We chose a 12:30 time slot thinking it would not be that crowded and arrived at 12:15 only to stand in the 12:30 entry line.  The entrance is the building with the three beige awnings.  I guess we do stand in line after all!!

Built in 1906 by the Lello brothers, the art deco interior looks like it is made entirely with wood but its mostly painted plaster with gold leaf.  Said to have inspired JK Rowling, who worked in Porto for a year, for her Harry Potter series, its attracts thousands of Potterheads who come to ogle the interior.

Even if they never sell another book, this place is a gold mine.  But if you do purchase a book they will credit your 5 euro ticket off the price.  Rita somehow managed to find a Portuguese cookbook to purchase amid the human crush of people who had paid to roam the interior of the bookstore.  

 After dropping off our book at home we headed to the Church and Museum of Sao Francisco, known as the Gold Church, which boasts the most lavish interior in Porto.  The tour consists of the Church of the Convent of Sao Francisco, Church and Sacristy of the Third Order and the Catacombs. We started  by heading to the Sao Francisco Church which was built in the 14th century in a Gothic style and were disappointed to find that once inside, the high alter was under renovation and completely draped off.  The rest of the 18th century built Baroque style interior is still very impressive as 200kg (450lbs) of gold leaf was used to decorate the interior.  Above is the intricate wood carving of the Tree of Jesse (1718) which is a very literal interpretation of the family tree of Jesus from the Old Testament   

Another gold leafed side altarpiece (1766) tells the story of the Holy Martyrs of Morocco.  At the bottom it shows the Franciscan friars being beheaded by the Moors in Morocco.  The upper panel shows Franciscan friars being tortured and crucified by the Japanese.  In the center is Saint Walter, who brought the Franciscan Order to Portugal.  All this mayhem is displayed in gold leaf, of course. 

  Next to the Sao Francisco Church is The Church and Sacristy of the Third Order which was built in 1795 in a neoclassical design as the Franciscans decided they needed to expand due to strong demand to attend their services. It is a lovely church but is definitely not as garish as its next door neighbor.

Across from Sao Francisco is the Dispatch House which includes this lavish Waiting Room completed in 1752.  The intricate ceiling was completed in 1748.  

 

Located in the underground floor of the Dispatch House are the Catacombs, home to the remains of the Franciscan friars as well as some of Porto's nobles.  The catacombs were deactivated in 1866.

Our last stop was to investigate the interior of the 12th century, fortress-like Porto Cathedral.  As with the outside, the interior has changed over the centuries.  The main section of the Cathedral interior was built in Romanesque with columns and rounded semicircular arches being the main features.  The austere tall stone columns are a dramatic contrast to the richly decorated high alter which was constructed in 1729 in Portuguese Baroque style.

The Cloister was added in the 14th century in Gothic style with the Baroque style blue glazed tiles added at the beginning of the 18th century

From the Cloisters you take the stairs to the upper floor and there are several rooms that seemed to be set up as meeting spaces.  This one was particularly impressive with its blue glazed tile border on all the walls and a masterfully painted ceiling

That was enough history for one day so we headed back to our apartment and Rita put together a sumptuous chacuterie board of cold cuts, cheeses and olives along with a tasty arugula and tomato salad; all prepared from our small galley kitchen with, of course, a couple of glasses of local white wine.