Igreja do Carmo & The Hidden House: Tiles and Secrets
Why is it significant?
Stand at the corner of Rua do Carmo and marvel at the colossal side wall of Igreja do Carmo, covered entirely in thousands of blue-and-white azulejo tiles laid out in nineteen twelve depicting the founding of the Carmelite Order and Mount Carmel.
Key Facts
| Place | Igreja do Carmo & The Hidden House: Tiles and Secrets |
|---|---|
| Address | R. do Carmo, 4050-164 Porto |
| Geo Coordinates | 41.14740, -8.61630 |
| Part of Walk | Porto of Granite & Gold: Blue Azulejos, Port Cellars, and the Douro River |
| Generated | Generated |
Stand at the corner of Rua do Carmo and marvel at the colossal side wall of Igreja do Carmo, covered entirely in thousands of blue-and-white azulejo tiles laid out in nineteen twelve depicting the founding of the Carmelite Order and Mount Carmel. But look closely at the narrow gap between this church and the adjacent Igreja dos Carmelitas.
Wedged directly between the two grand stone churches is a tiny, one-meter-wide townhouse with its own front door and miniature windows. Known as A Casa Escondida, or the Hidden House, it was built in seventeen sixty-eight because an ancient clerical law forbade two churches of rival monastic orders from sharing a common wall, and to prevent any illicit fraternization between the Carmelite monks and nuns!
During the French Invasions of eighteen zero nine and liberal clashes, secret resistance meetings were held inside this invisible residence, where the town bell-ringer lived for decades in three stacked rooms.
Head south along the ridge toward the fortress-like ramparts of Porto Cathedral.