Serra do Pilar Monastery, Porto, Portugal

The Monastery of Serra do Pilar has been a Cultural Heritage of Humanity site since 1996 and provides an unequalled view of the city of Porto. Its construction began in 1538 and it was completed in 1670. It housed the Augustinian Friars of the Monastery of Grijo until it became occupied by the Liberal army during the Civil War of 1832-1834, during which it was damaged. The Royal Brotherhood of Nossa Senhora do Pilar, established in 1834 and, later, the Group of Friends of the Monastery of Serra do Pilar, created in 1925, helped save the monastery.

The church with its circular floor plan is unique in Portugal, as is the Cloister, which is also circular and is lined with 36 Ionic columns. It currently houses North Heritage. In the cloister, note the statue of D. Afonso Henriques, by Soares dos Reis, which is the plaster version of the one in bronze at the Guimarães Castle. It is worth taking the guided tour which includes a climb to the dome. It's a 100 steps to the circular terrace that surrounds the dome of the church, but the panoramic view over Porto is spectacular.

Serro de Pilar is part of the UNESCO World Heritage site Historic Centre of Oporto, Luiz I Bridge and Monastery of Serra do Pilar.

References:

helloguideoporto.com

User Reviews

Adib Majid (12 months ago)
Unique building structure and apparently this is also one of the UNESCO sites. In the evening it looks nice from the outside

Wilson Foo (2 years ago)
Monastery was closed when I arrive but the views from up there is well worth the long walk uphill. Maybe comeback in the evening to take pictures of sundown.

Olga Amara (2 years ago)
Fantastic place to visit in Porto. Monastery is closed to public, but it situated on top of the hill and the are great views from viewpoint. It is very popular tourist attraction. Metro station is JARDIM DO MORRO, line D. Must visit place in Porto.

Andre Karl Misso (2 years ago)
Good panoramic view of Porto & Gaia. Came in with an Uber from Porto, took 7 mins to Gaia.

Sanjeeta Pai (2 years ago)
A must visit place in your visit to Porto. We took the cable car from the other end and landed near it. Then walked up to see the gorgeous views of the bridge, river and Porto. We loved it so much that we visited again the next day to watch sunset. The garden view as you walk up is also lovely. And the place gets lighted up at night. The monastery as such was closed when we went but the views were well worth the trek up the incline. There is also a metro station nearby. And lots of places to eat nearby.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Zvonimir Hrvoj

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Serra do Pilar Monastery

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