Porta da Barbacã

The Porta da Barbacã, in Coimbra

The Porta da Barbacã is a former fortified gate of Coimbra, a precious witness of the second wall of the town. The Coimbra audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this historic arch, which still today opens the way towards the old town.

The gate of the second fortified wall

Slipped, even hidden between two buildings, the Porta da Barbacã is a precious witness of the second fortified wall of Coimbra. At the time of the Islamic period, to cross it amounted to passing the main gate of the town, the major entrance of the town. This function has finally not changed so much over the centuries, because still today, the arch continues to open the way towards the old town, at the top of the town. By scrutinising its façade, you make out the coat of arms of Portugal, surmounted by a figure of the Virgin and Child, witnesses of the history and the devotion that attach to this passage. Under the vault, the old stones tell the elapsed centuries. A vestige of the medieval fortifications and a symbolic gate of the old town, the Porta da Barbacã is a history-laden stop of Coimbra.

What to see

You admire the former fortified gate hidden between two buildings, a witness of the second wall of Coimbra and the main gate of the town in the Islamic era, which still opens the way towards the old town, with on its façade the coat of arms of Portugal surmounted by a Virgin and Child. The Porta da Barbacã is a history-laden stop of Coimbra. It is a stop to be discovered, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The Porta da Barbacã lies between the lower town and the old town of Coimbra, reachable on foot. It is an open-air monument, freely visible and which you cross to reach the old town. You discover it during a walk towards the upper town.

What was the Porta da Barbacã in Coimbra?

A witness of the second fortified wall of Coimbra, which was the main gate of the town in the Islamic era; still today, the arch opens the way towards the old town, its façade bearing the coat of arms of Portugal and a Virgin and Child.

Where is the Porta da Barbacã of Coimbra?

Between the lower town and the old town of Coimbra, in Portugal.