Capela das Almas
On Gingerguide's self-guided Porto audio tour, Capela das Almas is a stop worth about ~20 min. Stand in front of it, press play for a short narrated story, and put any follow-up question to the built-in AI guide.
- Type religious
- Suggested visit ~20 min
- Porto Porto guide
About Capela das Almas
Almost 16,000 blue-and-white tiles wrap this small chapel on Porto's main shopping street, telling the lives of two saints, and the painter quietly mixed up two different Saint Catherines.
The Capela das Almas, also called the Capela de Santa Catarina, stands on a corner of Rua de Santa Catarina in the parish of Santo Ildefonso. The chapel dates from the 18th century and was enlarged and restored in 1801, works that changed its original style. It belongs to the Irmandade das Almas e Chagas de São Francisco, the Brotherhood of the Souls and Wounds of Saint Francis. Above the door, a 19th-century stained-glass window by the painter Amândio Silva shows the souls that give the chapel its name.
Until 1929 the exterior was plastered and whitewashed. That year the facades were covered entirely in blue-and-white azulejos in an 18th-century style: 15,947 tiles over about 360 square metres, designed by the ceramist Eduardo Leite and made at the Viúva Lamego factory in Lisbon. They show scenes from the lives of Saint Francis of Assisi and Saint Catherine. The chapel has been listed as a Property of Public Interest since 1993.
Did you know? The tile painter mixed up his saints. The panels combine scenes of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, a legendary martyr said to have died in the early 4th century, with scenes of Saint Catherine of Siena, a 14th-century Italian mystic.
How much time do you need at Capela das Almas?
Around ~20 min works well for Capela das Almas — time to look properly and listen to its story on the spot. Linger if you like; nothing on a self-guided walk is on a clock.
Should you stop at Capela das Almas?
Yes — Capela das Almas made the cut as one of 25 places the Gingerguide team researched and narrated across Porto. The story tells you why it is worth the stop, and the AI guide fills in anything you still wonder.
Nearby stops in Porto
Sources and further reading
Where to check the facts about Capela das Almas and read more:
Day 1 of the Porto in 2 days itinerary →Day 2 of the Porto in 3 days itinerary →
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Hear the story of Capela das Almas
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