Guimarães City Guide 🇵🇹 Portugal Best Places - Travel & Discover

The city of Guimaraes' past is so intimately intertwined with the history of Portugal that it's commonly and proudly referred to as the cradle of the nation. Tradition has it that the boy who would one day be crowned the first king of Portugal in 1179 was born and baptized in Guimaraes in 1111. The building of the Palace of the Duke coincided with the second marriage of Afonso to Dona Costanza de Naranja, who made Guimaraes their principal residence. The size of the building was somewhat unusual in medieval Portugal, as were some of the constructive details, such as the multiple chimneys which crowned the very pronounced sloping roofs. This not only demonstrates the highly contemporary taste of the commissioners, but above all the international background of Dom Afonso, who due to his diplomatic activities had made numerous journeys all over Europe. Inside is an impressive banqueting hall with a splendid wooden ceiling and an extensive collection of portraits and furniture dating from the 17th and 18th centuries. The development of the enormous central patio led to the different functional areas, the apartments of the duke and the chapel. The ducal residence underwent considerable renovation between 1935 to 1959. The volume, the homogeneous and fortress-like form which the building currently imposes on the landscape, are a long way from the initial language of the edifice. It's more directly related to the intervention options, which themselves alone involve a tremendous amount of study and reflection on the restoration theories which were in practice at the time. On the first floor, near the duke's apartments, the old church of the palace was completely renovated. The stations of the cross demonstrate the piety and devotion which the populace had for the Passion of Christ, since not only were they present in the churches, but were also scattered about the city in small shrines. In Guimarães, there were seven stations originally, which were erected in 1727 by Hermandade de Nossa Senhora da Consolação and Santos Passos. Over the course of time, and with the growth of the town, the stations have been moved or taken apart. Today, there are only five. Among the several churches in Guimarães, the finest is São Francisco Church on the south side of the city gardens. Built in 1400 in gothic style, it was restored in the 18th century and features a series of magnificent tiles and an elegant renaissance cloister and fountain. The Rua de Santa Maria was one of the first streets in Guimarães, since it served as the link between the monastery, founded by Muma Dona. The convent of Santa Clara was once one of the richest convents in Guimarães, instituted in the 16th century by Baltasar de Andrade. Inside, the two-story cloister is in classical style. Today, this building is the town hall and the chapel is now the Municipal Archives Alfredo Pimenta. The archives contain a great deal of documentation, including those from Oliveira Church. The covered walkway around the courtyard is a continuous outdoor walkway, built against buildings surrounding a central courtyard or quadrangle. Pottery is one of the most interesting arts in Guimarães' long tradition. It's a purely rustic craft activity and has existed for many centuries, its origins being traced to the 13th century. Guimarães tries to preserve the arts and ancient techniques, while simultaneously maintaining an approach on new tendencies of contemporary handicraft. Linen embroidery, pottery, wrought iron, silverwork and filigree, basketry and wicker furniture, cutlery, stone cutting and masonry work are all examples of the burgeoning activity in traditional trades. The old council chamber was started at the end of the 14th century and was completely remodeled at the beginning of the 17th century. The Salado Memorial is a gothic monument from the reign of King Afonso IV to commemorate the Battle of Salado, fought in 1340. At the end of the 14th century, King Joao I ordered the church of Nossa Senhora de Oliveira to be rebuilt after a vow he'd made to the Blessed Virgin Mary, following the victory at Aljubarota. Near the church is the stone cross of the Salado Memorial, completed in 1342, which was offered by Pero Esteves, a local businessman resident in Lisbon. On the ground floor of the tower, which was added in 1513, is the mortuary chapel of the parents of Praia de Diogo Pinheiro, who was responsible for the reconstruction of the tower. The impressive Largo da Oliveira, in the heart of the old town, has been particularly successful in managing to retain its medieval aspect. Santiago Square has been mentioned in various documents throughout the ages, and it still maintains its medieval appearance. The square is named after Saint James, who, according to legend, brought an image of the Virgin Mary to Guimaraes, and placed it in a pagan temple that stood here. What's considered to be the heart of today's Toral Square was, in the 17th century, a square outside the city walls, adjacent to the city's main gate, where the cattle market took place. In 1791, the town council leased the land adjoining the walls for the construction of buildings, which later followed plans probably derived from Lisbon. New urban furniture was created for this space, incorporating architecture in cast iron, a bandstand, public conveniences, benches and street lamps. The Church of the Misericordia was built at the end of the 16th century, in Renaissance style, long recognised as being typical of the city of Guimaraes. This small house in Rua Nova was in an advanced state of decay when the local authority decided to buy the property and fully restore it. It set an example in urban renewal, to serve as an incentive for the rehabilitation of the historic town centre. The Church of Sao Gualta stands with notable elegance in a quiet and beautiful place, today known as the Republic of Brazil Square. Initiated in 1769, Sao Gualta Church was probably the last work conceived by André Soares, an artist who, in the north of the country, took the potential of the Baroque style to the extreme, and best interpreted the possibilities and limits of a Catholic Rococo expression.