Clérigos Church & Tower
240 steps up a 75-metre Baroque tower, and Porto lays itself out below you.
Coming soon on iOS — be first to walk Porto offline.
Italian architect Nicolau Nasoni began the church in 1732 for the Brotherhood of the Clérigos, finishing the tower in 1763 after a design inspired by Tuscan campaniles. The church was among Portugal's first built on an elliptic floorplan. Nasoni entered the Brotherhood himself and, at his own request, was buried in the crypt — his exact spot still unknown.
What to look for
- Main façade loaded with garlands, shells, and an indented broken pediment modeled on an early 17th-century Roman scheme
- Central frieze above the windows carved with symbols of worship and an incense boat
- Polychromed marble altarpiece in the main chapel, executed by Manuel dos Santos Porto
The tower and church have opened during nighttime hours since June 2015 — six floors and 240 steps to the top.
Clérigos Church & Tower is one of 13 sights worth the detour in Porto, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Porto pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Porto
- Estádio do DragãoThe night this stadium opened, a 16-year-old Lionel Messi made his debut for Barcelona — Porto won anyway, 2–0.
- Luiz I BridgeTwo decks, one Douro crossing — the upper carries Metro line D while the lower lands you at the Ribeira waterfront.
- Estádio do BessaBoavista rebuilt this ground stand by stand while still playing in it — a live Euro 2004 renovation that never cleared the pitch.
- Casa da MúsicaThe world's only concert hall with two full glass walls — daylight floods a 1300-seat auditorium designed by Rem Koolhaas.
- Circuito da BoavistaThe street where Stirling Moss argued against his own championship — and lost it by exactly 1 point.
- Porto Cathedral (Sé do Porto)A Romanesque church that couldn't stop growing — nine centuries of additions without a teardown.