Palacio da Bolsa

                                                                      Palacio da Bolsa

Located adjacent to the Sao Francisco Church, the Palácio da Bolsa is a massive Neoclassic structure constructed on the site of the former St. Francis Convent.

The palace was built as a stock exchange and was designed to impress Europe’s economic leaders.

Designed in a Moorish style, the Arab Room is a highlight for any tour of the palace. It is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Porto, and the striking space is still used as a reception hall for visiting dignitaries today.

The interior of the Palace, which only finished in 1910, was magnificently decorated by several artists. The central courtyard (Nations' Courtyard - Pátio das Nações) is covered by a large metallic, octagonal dome with glass panels, designed by Tomás Soler and built after 1880. The lower part of the dome is decorated with the painted coats-of-arms of Portugal and the countries with which Portugal had commercial relations in the 19th century.

To the back of the courtyard, a sumptuous stairway, built in 1868 by Gonçalves e Sousa, leads to the upper stories and is adorned with busts by celebrated sculptors António Soares dos Reis and António Teixeira Lopes. The ceiling frescoes were painted by António Ramalho.

Several rooms of the Palace - Tribunal Room, Assembly Room, Golden Room - display furniture by José Marques da Silva, allegoric paintings by José Maria Veloso Salgado and João Marques de Oliveira, sculptures by Teixeira Lopes, and many other works of art.

The highlight of the Palace is, however, the Arab Room, built between 1862 and 1880 by Gonçalves e Sousa. The room is decorated in the exotic Moorish Revival style, fashionable in the 19th century, and is used as a reception hall for personalities and heads of state visiting Porto.