Carmo and Carmelitas Churches

The Church of the Carmo

The Porto audio-guided tour leads you, near the Lions Square, before the Church of the Carmo, one of the most fascinating religious buildings of the city, famous for its azulejos and its hidden house.

Two churches and a hidden house

It is in fact two adjoining churches. The most famous, on the right, the Church of the Carmo, displays a fine Baroque style and a side wall entirely covered with sky-blue azulejos. It adjoins the Church of the Carmelites, but the two do not touch: they are separated by a house barely one metre wide, so narrow that it seems to merge into the stone, nicknamed the "hidden house of Porto". To understand this ensemble, one must go back to the seventeenth century: the Carmelite nuns then received royal authorisation to build a convent, whose construction was completed in 1622, the church following a few years later.

What there is to see

The Church of the Carmo invites contemplation through its Baroque interior and its sky-blue azulejo wall, one of the most photographed of Porto. The curious one-metre-wide house, slipped between the two churches, adds an unusual touch. It is a fascinating religious ensemble, mixing fervour, art and anecdote, in the heart of the city.

Practical information

The Church of the Carmo is near the Lions Square, in the centre of Porto. A place of worship, it is discovered with respect for the services, according to hours to be checked on site; its azulejo wall can be contemplated freely from the street.

Why does one speak of two churches?

Because the Church of the Carmo adjoins the Church of the Carmelites, the two being separated by a house barely one metre wide.

What is the hidden house of Porto?

A house barely one metre wide, slipped between the two churches, one of the narrowest in the country.