The Carmelite Monastery impresses with its unusual church, which is actually made up of two churches, even from completely different periods. Both of them are impressive both in their interior and in their rich interior decoration.

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These two churches are connected by a façade about 1 metre wide, which is often claimed to be the narrowest house in Porto, even though it is not a house in the true sense of the word.

Igreja dos Carmelitas

The older but lesser known of the pair of churches is Igreja dos Carmelitas, the one on the left when viewed from the front. This is the main part of the convent of the barefoot Carmelites. It was completed in 1628 and its simple Renaissance facade of granite stone doesn't impress too much.

On the other hand, the beautiful light Baroque interior with its ornate Rococo elements is definitely worth a visit. The golden altar from 1650 or the white and gold main dome of the church are particularly beautiful.

Igreja do Carmo

On the other hand, the adjacent Igreja do Carmo, or rather the right part of the Carmelite monastery, is mainly interesting for its exterior.

This church was completed in 1768 and its Rococo style front portal boasts rich sculptural decoration. The entire right-hand side of the façade is decorated with a beautiful blue and white mosaic of azulejos, typical decorated ceramic tiles.

Admission and opening hours

Both churches are open to the public every day from 9:00-18:00.

Admission costs 5 euros for both churches.

How to get to the church?

You will find the Carmelite Monastery about 250 metres from the central Avenida dos Aliados and therefore also 250 metres from the tram station "Aliados", where the yellow line D passes.

Directly in front of the churches you can use the "Carmo" stop of the historic tram line 18 and the bus lines 200, 201, 207, 208, 300, 302, 305, 501, 507, 601, 602 and 703.

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