Clérigos Architectural Complex
The Clérigos architectural ensemble is a must-visit for everyone coming to the city of Porto.
Located in the historic centre of Porto, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Clérigos architectural complex is one of the biggest tourist attractions in Porto and in Portugal.
The Church and Tower are part of an 18th century construction commissioned by the Brotherhood of Clerics. Nicolau Nasoni, the project designer, was able to create a landmark building which, due to its grandeur, was classified as a National Monument in June 1910.
The reopening of the complex on 12 December 2014, exactly 251 years after its inauguration, fully restored and with a museum incorporated, marked the return of this landmark of Porto to its 18th century splendour. The work was done on an area of around 4,500 square metres, 13 kilometres of electric wiring were installed, and 60 kilos of cotton and 140,000 sheets of gold leaf were used. Tradition and the modern, faith and culture, now go hand in hand at Clérigos. It’s a perfect blend of ART, FAITH, MUSIC and PORTO!
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The Tower
In the year 1753, at the request of the Brotherhood of the Clérigos, the Italian architect Nicolau Nasoni presented the design for a bell tower, and in 1754, construction began on what would become the most beautiful and towering tower, dominating the entire urban landscape of Porto. In July 1763, with the placement of the iron cross at the top and the image of Saint Paul in the niche above the door, its construction was considered complete.
The baroque characteristics that define it are the ultimate expression of the spectacular nature of baroque art, where the typical motifs of this style give the tower movement and beauty. From a 360° perspective, visitors enjoy a unique moment, whether by day or by night, when during special occasions, the tower remains open until 11:00 PM.
From the top, a stunning view awaits, overlooking two cities embraced by the Douro River, Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia. An emblem of the city of Porto, this monument is the first documented architectural project of the Italian artist Nicolau Nasoni, but above all, it is the one that has gained the most recognition. Over 1,500,000 people visit it each year, making this monument one of the most visited in Portugal.
- 6Number of floors
- 75Height in meters
- 225Steps to the top
The Museum
Located in the former private quarters of the Brotherhood of the Clérigos, the Clérigos Museum presents a rich collection of cultural assets of considerable artistic value, spanning from the 13th century to the 21st century. This can be seen through collections of 17th and 18th-century paintings, furniture, goldsmithing (mostly produced by notable goldsmiths from Porto), sculpture, and textile art.
This collection was mostly constituted by legacies left to the Brotherhood of the Clérigos, through acquisitions and other donations. While the geographical origins are mainly centered on national production centers, there are also pieces from other countries. The Museum of the Brotherhood of the Clérigos has been part of the Portuguese Network of Museums since August 28, 2018.
Christus Collection
This exhibition, conceived from the donation of a collection by a private collector in 2015, reveals the passion for collecting and tells a story complemented with objects, once of devotion, now considered cultural legacies of interest. These are pieces of sculpture, painting, and goldsmithing that highlight the meeting of art and faith. The exhibition, spread across three rooms – Núcleo da Paixão, Viagem das Formas, and Imagens de Cristo – invites a journey through time and space, image and devotion.
In 2022, with the aim of introducing everyone to the history of the Brotherhood of the Clérigos and its main presidents, as well as the most recently acquired collection, a new space was born – the room “Legado dos Presidentes”. Here, visitors can appreciate exclusive objects, including a beautiful Clérigos Tower in silver filigree, a millenary art form in Northern Portugal, and the painting “Vista do Porto” by the composer of the Portuguese national anthem, Alfredo Keil (1850 – 1907).
At the Clérigos Museum, there is also another space dedicated to temporary exhibitions where different artists in the fields of sculpture, photography, ceramics, and others, showcase their works.
In this way, it aims to provide a complete and unique experience to all who visit the Clérigos Tower, Museum, and Church.
Here, visitors can appreciate exclusive objects, including a beautiful Clérigos Tower in silver filigree, a millenary art form in Northern Portugal, and the painting “Vista do Porto” by the composer of the Portuguese national anthem, Alfredo Keil (1850 – 1907).
At the Clérigos Museum, there is also another space dedicated to temporary exhibitions where different artists in the fields of sculpture, photography, ceramics, and others showcase their works.
The Church
The donation of a plot of land located in Campo do Olival, at the time the largest churchyard in Porto, enabled the Brotherhood of the Clérigos to build its own church. The project for the Clérigos Church, designed by Nicolau Nasoni, was approved at a meeting of the Clérigos Brotherhood in December 1731. Work began in April 1732 with the laying of the foundations, thus beginning the construction of what would become the first oval-plan church in Portugal. And that's not all. The gallery that surrounds the entire nave, making it possible to see the church as a whole, is also a unique feature of this church. The various windows let in light, which enhances the splendour of the gilded woodwork in the church, creating a beautiful play of colour with the marble.
The dome bears the coat of arms of the Brotherhood of the Clérigos in feigned granite and rests on six pilasters, with two pulpits and two railings standing out as the oldest examples of gilded woodwork in the church, and four side altars opening up: the Blessed Sacrament, Our Lady of Sorrows, St Andrew Avelino and St Benedict. Seventeen years later, in 1749, the building of the church was considered finished, but the equipping of the church and, later, the extension of the chapel would extend the work on the church for a few more years.
At the back, the spacious, oblong rectangular chancel (longer than it is wide) is embellished with a marble altar and a rococo-inspired altarpiece, with a design by Manuel dos Santos Porto, in which a throne crowned by the image of the patron saint, Our Lady of the Assumption, predominates. On the sides of the altarpiece, the co-patron saints of the Clérigos Brotherhood, St Peter ad Vincula and St Philip Néri, two painted wooden sculptures, stand out. The chancel is flanked by the chancel and the two Iberian or "Portuguese style" pipe organs, which were built simultaneously in 1774. The chancel was finished in 1777 and the organs just two years later.
ALTAR OF THE BLESSED
SACRAMENT. BUILT AND EXECUTED BY MASTER CARVER MANUEL MOREIRA SILVA
CLÉRIGOS CHURCH
INTERIOR, HIGH CHOIR.PHOTOGRAPH BY LUÍS FERREIRA ALVES
The work proved to be very expensive and complex and lasted until 1779. The characteristics of the Iberian organs apply to an organ model developed on the Iberian peninsula, especially during the 17th and 18th centuries, and they are distinguished from other organs by having a composition of trumpets arranged horizontally.
The consoles on which they rest are made of marble, surrounded by complex mouldings, clearly in the rococo style. The organ on the north wall has the emblem of the moon, and the sun appears on the one facing it, thus expressing the idea of totality and the absolute, day and night, alpha and omega. The sun and the moon are also Marian symbols: the Virgin Mary is "Bright as the sun" and "Beautiful as the moon".
After being restored in 2014, they are fully functional, with the highlight being the Pipe Organ Concert, which takes place daily at 12 noon (on Wednesdays, these concerts are broadcast by Página Oficial do Facebook).
Órgão de Tubos da Igreja dos Clérigos,
lado do Evangelho.Fotografia de Luís Ferreira Alves.
Virtual Tour
