Igreja e Torre dos Clérigos

Igreja e Torre dos Clérigos rises above Porto as an eighteenth-century Baroque church and bell tower. Nicolau Nasoni set its narrow façade above a steep staircase, creating a striking screen on the hillside. Behind it, the church opens into an unusual oval nave with four altars and richly gilded woodcarving.

Construction began in the early 1730s for the Brotherhood of the Clérigos, whose adjoining buildings included offices and an infirmary. The tower followed Nasoni’s change from two planned towers to one structure behind the church. Six narrowing floors lift it about 75 metres, while balconies make the upper levels appear to fade into the sky. Inside, double walls and passages circle the chancel, and the main altar carries a gilded retable by Luís Pereira da Costa, João Lopes da Maia and Domingos Martins Moreira.

Forty-nine bells form a carillon within the tower, whose climb includes more than 200 steps. From the summit, Porto’s rooftops and the river stretch below, while the restored stonework, painted decoration and gold details preserve the building’s Baroque character.