Towering over the city at 250 feet high, Torre dos Clérigos offers an amazing view of the city. The Baroque church and its tower were designed by Italian architect Nicolau Nasoni in the 1760s. It was the tallest building in all of Portugal at the time of its completion and remained so until the late 19th century. Built on an uphill street, the tower was put at the back of the building so as to appear even taller.
When we arrived, there was a line outside the church to purchase tickets. We weren’t aware until we got to the front of the line that it was not for immediate entry but rather for a timed entry later in the day. We purchased the next available time and walked up the street to Livraria Lello, where we killed two birds with one stone by hopping on their line while we also waited for our tower entrance time.
The Clerics complex is made up of three connected structures – the church, museum and tower. The church was completed first, in 1749, and the tower was completed in 1763. In between, both chronologically and physically, the Casa da Irmadade (House of the Brotherhood) was built. This former infirmary for sick and poor clerics now houses a museum that features paintings, sculptures, and historical artifacts from the church. The complex is open from 9am to 7pm and tickets to climb the tower cost 6 euros (children 10 and under are free). Entrance to the church and museum is free.
If you opt to climb the tower’s 225 stairs, you can tour the church and museum on your way. After scanning your ticket and walking upstairs, you will enter the Salao Nobre (Noble Hall). From there you can either visit the other rooms in House of the Brotherhood or go directly to the church.
As you walk down the long hallway to the church, there are several opening from which you can view the cathedral below. The nave is an oval shape, its granite and pink marble side walls curved and decorated with gilded wood carvings. Pipe organs are found on either side of the chapel and the altarpiece features an effigy of Our Lady of the Assumption flanked by statues of patron saints Pedro ad Vincula and Filipe Neri. If you continue the complete loop around the nave, you will end up in the room behind the altar, giving you a unique view back over the church.
After admiring the church from both the second level and the ground floor, we headed upstairs towards the tower entrance. There were some historical and educational exhibits on these floors that we perused before entering the stairs to the tower. The old stone stairwells were narrow and some landings had windows that gave you a sneak peek of the city. Towards the very top the stairs were deteriorating and must have been deemed unsafe because a metal staircase had been installed above the original steps.
On the way up we passed the bells (49 of them!), which thankfully did not ring while we were in the tower. Above the bells is your first chance to step outside on a small balcony and get a glimpse of the city.
We made the final trek up the last flight of steps to get to the viewing platform. And it was definitely worth all those steps! The platform offers 360 degree views of the city. Red tile roofs cover the landscape in all directions. From the historic district to the river, you can see all of Porto in its glory from the top of Torre dos Clérigos.
The viewing platform has a few neat displays on the ledges. One shows a map of Porto and distances to different city landmarks. Another compares the height of the tower to other famous buildings. This one might momentarily make the tower seem less impressive until you look up again to take in the amazing views and realize that it is exactly as tall as it needs to be.
The Church of the Clerics and its bell tower should not be missed on a visit to Porto. The church is impressive and worth a visit, and the bell tower offers the best views of the city. Just a word of warning that the tower might be difficult for people with physical limitations and for anyone who suffers from claustrophobia. The stairways were extremely narrow (especially towards the top) and we had to wait on the landings several times to let people squeeze by in the other direction. And the viewing platform was actually worse. It was just as narrow and completely packed with people. I could not make it around in one direction because it was so crowded and had to double back and go around the other way. But it is well worth the effort and tight squeezes. If you are in the right physical and mental state for a tough, narrow climb, it is definitely something you won’t ever forget.
