Thursday, September 29, 2016
Appendix C. Political Administrative Divisions of Spain and Portugal
When
consulting Spanish- or Portuguese-language sources, one is exposed to a
sometimes quite “foreign” vocabulary of designations for populated places.
Perhaps the most generic term one finds in a Spanish-English dictionary is población, which sometimes is a simple
cognate meaning “population,” but can also mean “village,” “town,” or “city.”
The dictionary also lists the term lugar
as meaning “place,” “site,” or “position” (a location or a job), but it can
also mean “village” or “hamlet.” Sometimes a place is just called a localidad (locality) or a núcleo (nucleus).
However,
there are several more specific terms, most with official definitions, for
certain types of population entities that are recognized as administrative
centers. Therefore, this appendix pulls together definitions and explanations
of some important terms that one will encounter in other parts of this blog.
ALDEA
An
aldea (village), also called a caserio (hamlet) in some regions of
Spain, is a human settlement commonly located in rural areas. It is generally
of smaller size and population than a pueblo
(village). In medieval times, aldeas
were centered around a castle or a parish church. In modern Spain, the aldea is one of the categories used in
the nomenclature of population entities. In the Order of Instruction of 1930,
for the elaboration of a gazetteer of that year, it was defined as: “the entity
with the smallest neighborhood and population, often more disseminated than a lugar (place), but whose buildings are
also sometimes firming streets and squares. The word aldea involves the dependence on another entity.” An aldea is a very small town that
administratively depends on a larger population center.
LUGAR
According
to the Diccionario de la lengua española,
edited by the Real Academia Española (Royal Spanish Academy), the term lugar (literally meaning place) refers
to a secondary agglomeration of a municipality smaller than a villa (village) and larger than an aldea (village). Aside from this
official Spanish definition, it also has a more general meaning, according to
which it denotes the situation of a population center of any size (ciudad [city], pueblo [town], villa
[town], or aldea), and even an
uninhabited paraje (place/spot, the
literal meaning of lugar). The Order
of Instruction for the Spanish gazetteer of 1930 defines lugar as “The population entity that, in the locality, is
designated with that title and has, in addition, distributed the buildings of
which it is composed in the form of streets and squares. As a general rule, the
word lugar indicates that the entity
to which it applies has or has had a jurisdictional boundary.”
PUEBLO
A
pueblo, from the Latin populus (people, as a political
community), is an ambiguous term that can designate the population (the set of
people of a place, region, or country); assimilate to the concept of a country
with an independent government; or can even be applied to designate any
locality, particularly in a rural population. Pueblo is usually translated as “town” or “village.”
VILLA
A
villa (town) is a population center
that has received throughout history certain explicit recognitions and
privileges on the part of the recognized authority (for example, to hold fairs
or markets) and for various reasons, although not always, has not been granted
the higher category, that of ciudad
(city). In other words, a villa is an
urban center larger than a pueblo
(town) but smaller than a ciudad
(city).
In
Portugal, a villa typically has between 1,000 and 10,000 inhabitants, although
historical reasons and population fluctuations have created several exceptions
to this rule. The status of a villa
in heraldry is represented by a crown with four towers in the coat of arms.
In
Spain, the major entities of
population correspond to the categories of villa
or ciudad; both categories correspond
mostly to urban entities and the distinction between then corresponds to
historical criteria. Currently in Spain, the differentiation between ciudad and villa has no relation to the size or importance of the entity, nor
is there a hierarchical difference between the two categories; for example, the
villa of Madrid is the capital of
Spain and outnumbers the ciudad of
Barcelona.
CIUDAD
A
ciudad (city) is a population center
with political-administrative and economic attributes and functions, unlike the
rural nuclei that lack them, totally or partially. A ciudad is an urban space with a high density of population, in
which commerce, industry, and services predominate. In the political
organization of the territory, in which different population centers had
different privileges, the title of ciudad
was given to some of them and gave them greater preferences than to the villas. In the same sense as villas, which used to obey the common
law granted by the king, but unlike anteiglesias
(towns organized around churches) or aldeas
(villages), which were under the jurisdiction of a lord, the status of ciudad was the recognition of some
singular fact in which the population had actively participated. The Diccionario
de la lengua española, edited by the Real Academia Española (Royal Spanish Academy)
defines a ciudad as a “set of
buildings and streets, governed by an ayuntamiento
(town hall), whose dense and numerous population is usually engaged in
non-agricultural activities.” In Spanish gazetteers, ciudad is a category for “qualification granted or traditionally
recognized” population entities.
FREGUESIA
A
freguesia is the name given in Portuguese-speaking countries to
administrative divisions into which a municipality (municipio or concello) is
divided. Depending on the case, it can be translated as parish, district, or
neighborhood.
The
junta de freguesia (parish board) is
the executive body of the freguesia.
In
Portuguese, freguesias are the civil
representatives of the old Catholic parroquias
that arose many times from the medieval ecclesiastical units. Since the
religious parishes still exist, it is best to translate freguesia as “civil parish.”
PARROQUIA (RELIGIÓN)
The
term parroquia comes from the Latin parochia and Greek παροικία paroikía (to
live nearby). It is a territorial division of Christian churches. In the
Catholic Church, the parish is the community of Catholic faithful belonging to
a particular church that is under the spiritual direction of a priest, who is
under the authority of the bishop of a diocese. Originally, the parishes were
created by the Catholic Church and were formed by a small territory (several
towns or villages) that were assigned to a priest. The parish would normally
take the name of the one church principal church in that territory. This term
for a religious parish is used in both Spain and Portugal. In Spain, this may
cause some confusion, since parroquia
is also the Spanish term for a civil parish, which might not have the same name
or boundaries as the religious parish with which it shares territory.
PARROQUIA
(CIVIL)
In
some countries, including Spain, parroquia
is also the designation of some political administrative divisions. In the
Spanish autonomous communities of Asturias and Galicia, the parroquia (best translated as civil
parish) is the category traditionally recognized for certain collective
entities of population. As such, they have no legal power whatsoever and their
delimitation, in terms of area, has no legal validity, since it is not carried
out by any competent body. In Galicia, there are 3,781 parroquias that range from three or four villages to fifteen or
more. The Statute of Autonomy of Galicia provides for the legal recognition of
rural parroquias as legal entities.
In Asturias, the parroquia is a
traditional form of administrative, religious, and agrarian organization.
MUNICIPIO
A municipio is an administrative entity
that can encompass a single or several localities. The term comes from the
Latin municipium, which in ancient
Rome was a free city that was governed by its own laws. A municipio is governed
by a collegiate body called ayuntamiento
(town hall), municipalidad
(municipality), alcaldía (town hall),
or concejo (council) headed by the alcalde (mayor). In the Old Regime in
Spain, there was an alcalde (mayor)
for the estado noble (noble estate)
and another for the estado llano
(simple/plain estate); for major cities, there was a corregidor (magistrate) appointed by the king. In some Spanish
municipalities, the medieval system of government, management, and decision for
assembly participation, called concejo abierto
(open council), still functions. In the Basque language, udalerri translates into Spanish as municipio.
CONCELLO
Concello or concejo (literally meaning council) is
another name given to a municipality, particularly in Galicia, Asturias and the
mountains of León, as well as in Portugal. The term comes from the Latin concilium (assembly, council), but also
applies to the territory of a municipality. In some places, such as in Santiago
de Compostela, capital of Galicia, the building that houses the alcaldía (mayorship) is called the casa do concello.
Administratively,
Portugal is divided into 308
municipalities (Portuguese: municípios
or concelhos), which since the reform
of 2013 are subdivided into civil parishes (Portuguese: freguesias). Operationally, the municipality and civil parish,
along with the national government, are the only legally identifiable local
administrative units; for example, cities, towns, or villages have no standing
in law.
DISTRITO
For
statistical purposes, Portugal informally identifies a system of distritos (districts), although these
are being phased out by the national government. Continental Portugal is
divided into 18 districts, each taking the name of the district capital: Aveiro,
Beja,
Braga,
Bragança, Castelo Branco, Coimbra,
Évora, Faro,
Guarda,
Leiria,
Lisbon,
Portalegre,
Porto,
Santarém, Setúbal, Viana do Castelo, Vila Real, and Viseu.
PROVINCIA
The
term provincia (province) was introduced
by the Romans, who divided the Roman Empire into provinces. They also used the
term for conquered territories outside the Italic peninsula. In Latin, the term
provincia is formed from “pro” (for)
and “vincia” (victory). In Romance-speaking countries, such as Spain, the word provincia was applied to important
administrative units only inferior to the kingdoms. In the Spanish Empire, it
corresponded to territorial divisions under the jurisdiction of a corregidor (magistrate). In modern
Spain, under the Constitution of 1978, there are 50 provincias, as a secondary administrative level below comunidad autónoma (autonomous
community). The main administrative organ of the provincia is the Diputación
Provincial (Provincial Council). Since 1978, however, the provincias are given much less
importance, with most of the territorial competencies in the hands of the comunidad autónoma (autonomous
community) of which the province is a part and, failing that, of the municipios (municipalities) within the
province.
COMUNIDAD
AUTÓNOMA
In
Spain a comunidad autónoma (C.A.,
autonomous community) is the highest or first-order administrative division of
the country. Spain is the only country that has this territorial division. It is
an administrative territorial entity that, within the State constitutional
legal system, is endowed with certain legislative autonomy with its own
representatives and certain executive and administrative powers. The division
of Spain into autonomous communities is included in the Spanish Constitution of
1978. That constitution provided for a territorial organization of the country,
called “State of Autonomies,” that is based on decentralization and groups
adjacent provinces with common historical, cultural, and economical traits. Except
for Asturias, Cantabria, La Rioja, Madrid, and Murcia, the autonomous
communities are broken down into provincias
(provinces), which in turn are broken down into municipalities (municipios or concellos).
The
political and administrative division of Spain takes the form of 16 autonomous
communities and the comunidad foral (regional
community) of Navarra, as well as Cueta and Melilla (in Africa), whose statuses
of autonomy grant them the rank of ciudades
autónomas (autonomous cities).
The
administration of autonomous communities is based on decentralization of the
state. The level of competencies delegated is not always the same, but is
regulated by a Statute of Autonomy for each autonomous community. Each
autonomous community has its own legislative body, and the autonomous
administration must respect the rules issued by its autonomous Parlamento (Parliament).
The
autonomous community of Catalonia has two additional divisions that have
administrative powers: the comarques
(sing. comarca), which are
aggregations of municipalities, and vegueries
(sing. vegueira), which are
aggregations of comarques. The
concept of comarca exists in all autonomous communities; however, unlike in
Catalonia, these are merely historical or geographical subdivisions.
COMARCA
A
comarca (in Spanish, Portuguese, and
Galego) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Spain
and Portugal. The term is derived from the term marca, meaning “march, mark, or brand,” plus the prefix co-, meaning “together, jointly.” The
original definition of marca (mark)
referred to “a sign or limit of a border.” Thus, in its beginnings, the word comarca referred to “a space that is in
the limit between two territories.” The comarca
is known in Aragonese as redondala,
and in Basque as eskualde. In Galego,
comarcas are also called bisbarras.
The
term comarca is usually translated as
“region.” It denotes a set of population centers that, by sharing certain
characteristics, form a separate cultural, economic, or administrative
territory. The adjective pertaining to a comarca
is comarcal (pl. comarcales). A comarca is
a region that differs from others because of its historical, social, cultural,
or geographical characteristics.
Portugal
Until
the 16th century, Portugal was
divided into comarcas, large
administrative regions. There were six traditional comarcas: Entre-Douro-e-Minho, Trás-os-Montes, Beira,
Estremadura, Alentejo,
and Algarve,
of which the last had the honorary title of “kingdom.” Since the 16th century,
the comarcas gradually became referred
to as “provinces.”
The
name “comarca” was applied to the administrative and judicial subdivisions of
the provinces, a use introduced in the 17th century. Each comarca corresponded to the territorial area of jurisdiction of a corregidor,
a high-ranking administrative and judicial officer who represented the Crown in
the district.
In
the 19th century, the comarcas were
replaced by separate administrative and judicial divisions, reflecting the
implementation of the separation of executive and judicial powers. The new
administrative divisions became the administrative districts (distritos) and the new judicial
divisions kept the name comarca.
Nowadays,
in Portugal, Brazil, and some other countries of the Community of Portuguese Language
Countries, the comarca is
the basic territorial division in the judicial
system. It corresponds to the territorial area of jurisdiction of a court of first instance.
The
comarca may correspond to a municipality
or group several small municipalities together. A judiciary organization reform
implemented in Portugal in 2014 reduced the number of comarcas from 231 to 23.
Spain
The
term comarca is used in several
regions in Spain. The comarcas are territorial divisions that
only have legal status in some autonomous communities.
·
In Asturias, the historic division is the conceyu (pl. conceyos), concejo, or municipio in
Spanish). Currently, several comarcas exist, but they are contemporary
creations related to tourism promotions, without administrative or government
powers.
·
In Cantabria, the comarca
is a traditional or historical division, usually identified with the greatest
rivers of the region.
·
In Catalonia and Aragon, the comarca is
a local government area, represented by a member on the comarcal council.
·
In the Valencian Community, the comarca exists as a traditional region with no administrative powers.
They are legally referred as “homologated territorial demarcations” instead of
as comarques.
·
In Galicia the comarcas
or bisbarras are traditional
divisions of the land that have limited official recognition, but have no
administrative relevance. However, the Galician
government is attempting to transform the bisbarras into territorial administrative tiers, to create a new
regional network proposed to be more balanced and efficient. Galician comarcas also have a comarcal council.
In
other places, such as Extremadura, the comarca may simply refer to a loosely defined region.
Because
of its long-standing use, the term
comarca is sometimes used as the basis for the promotion of tourism,
with emphasis on local cultural tradition and history.
PRIMARY SOURCES:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spain#Administrative_divisions
Spain: Administrative divisions.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portugal#Administrative_divisions
Portugal: Administrative Divisions.
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freguesia
Freguesia.
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parroquia_(religi%C3%B3n)
Parroguia (religión).
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parroquia_(civil)
Parroquia (civil).
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comunidad_aut%C3%B3noma
Comunidad autónoma.
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipio
Municipio.
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Villa_(poblaci%C3%B3n)
Villa (población).
https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Provincia
Provincia.
Appendix B. Azulejos
The
azulejo (pronounced ˌah thəˈlāˌhō in
Spanish or ah zəˈlāˌzhō in Portuguese) is a form of Spanish and Portuguese
painted tin-glazed ceramic tilework. Azulejos
are found on the interior and exterior of churches, palaces, ordinary houses,
schools, and nowadays, restaurants, bars and even railway or subway stations.
They not only have an ornamental function but also helped control the
temperature in buildings. They still constitute a major aspect of Portuguese
architecture, as they are applied on walls, floors, and even ceilings. Many azulejos chronicle major historical and
cultural aspects of Portuguese history; however, some also show scenes from
everyday life. Some merely serve as street signs, nameplates, or house numbers.
Panel of glazed azulejo tiles by
Jorge Colaço (circa 1922) depicting an episode from the battle of Aljubarrota (1385) between
the Portuguese and Castilian armies; a piece
of public art in Lisbon, Portugal
(en.wikipedia.org).
Santarém, Portugal: blue-and-white tile (azulejo) panel with scene of Dom Afonso Henriques (center) and
other Christian knights battling Moors in Reconquista
(Reconquest) in 1147, on bench near statue of D. Afonso Henriques (Don Madill).
Although
some sources, including dictionaries, say the term azulejo is a derivative if the Spanish azul, meaning blue (the dominant colors in azulejos are blue, yellow, green, and white), the Portuguese (and
Spanish) term azulejo comes from the
Arabic az-zulayj or al zellige (زليج or الزليج) pronounced ah-zoo-lay-zhō
or al-zoo-lay-cha and meaning “polished stone.” The Arabic term was for terra
cotta tilework covered with enamel in the form of ships set into plaster. This
form of Islamic art is one of the main characteristics of Moroccan
architecture; it consists of geometrically patterned mosaics, used to ornament
walls, ceilings, fountains, floors, pools, and tables. The art of zellige
flourished in the Hispano-Moorish period (Azulejo) of the Maghreb region in
northwest Africa. The Moors brought this art form to the Iberian Peninsula when
they invaded and occupied it from the 8th to 12th centuries. When Christian
kings and their armies eventually forced the Moors from southern Europe, many
of the craftsmen stayed behind and adapted their craft to appeal to their new
Christian masters, customers, and benefactors. Their influence in early
Portuguese azulejos was actually
introduced from Spain, long after the Christian Reconquest. Although they are not
a Portuguese invention, they have been used more imaginatively and consistently
in Portugal than in any other country.
Zellige terra cotta tiles
decorating a fountain with elaborate Islamic geometric patterns, Place [Square] El-Hedine, in Meknes, Morocco
(en.wikipedia.org).
The
first applications of decorative azulejos
were in Andalusia (Southern Spain) in the 13th and 14th centuries. The Spanish
city of Seville became the major center of the Hispano-Moresque tile industry,
although Valéncia, Málaga, and Toledo were also principal producers. The
earliest azulejos in the 13th century
were panels of tile-mosaic. Tiles were glazed in a single color (monochrome),
cut into geometric shapes, and assembled to form geometric patterns. These
techniques were introduced into Portugal by King Manuel I after visits to
Seville in 1498 and 1503. The Portuguese adopted the Moorish tradition of
covering walls completely with azulejos.
After
the Gothic period, most large buildings had extensive areas of flat plaster on
their interior walls, which needed some form of decoration. These empty
architectural spaces produced the art of the fresco in Italy and, in Portugal,
the art of the azulejo.
In
the late 15th and 16th century, the development of ceramic art in Italy led to
the use of the majolica technique to paint directly onto tiles. This made it
possible to expand compositions to include a variety of figurative themes,
historical stories, and decorations. Under the influence of Italian artists who
moved to Seville, most azulejos were
polychrome (two or more colors); a
variety of colors were used, including blue, light yellow, dark yellow,
green, brown, white, black, and purple. Azulejo tiles, now painted by artists,
were painted on tiles, as on a wood panel or a canvas. The painted tiles were
assembled into panels depicting allegorical or mythological scenes, scenes from
the lives of saints or the Bible, or hunting scenes. Until the mid-16th
century, Portugal relied in foreign imports, but then Portuguese masters arose,
drawing their inspiration from Renaissance and Mannerist art.
In
the late 16th century, checkered azulejos
were used as decoration for large surfaces, such as in churches and
monasteries. They were composed of plain colored tiles, alternated in such a
way as to create decorative patterns on the walls. For example, diagonally
placed plain white tiles were surrounded by blue square ones and narrow border
tiles.
Checkered azulejos on the façade of the
Igreja Matriz de Cambra, Vouzela, Portugal (en.wikipedia.org).
In
the 17th century, these plain white tiles were replaced by polychrome ones,
often giving a complex framework, such as in the Igreja de Santa María de
Marvila in Santarém with one of the most outstanding tile-based interior
decorations in Portugal. Complexes of tiles began to be interlaced with
Mannerist drawings of flowers and inserted votives, usually a scene from the
life of Christ or a saint. These carpet compositions (azulejo de tapete), elaborately frames with friezes and borders,
were produced in great numbers in Portugal. Also typical of Portugal is the use
of azulejos for the decoration of the
antependium (front of an altar), imitating previous altar cloths; the golden
fringes of the altar cloth were imitated by yellow motifs on painted border
tiles.
Carpet-style decoration - Museu da Rainha D. Leonor in Beja, Portugal
(en.wikipedia.org).
Antependium decorated with azulejos -
Church of Nossa Senhora da Graça in Sagres, Portugal (en.wikipedia.org).
In
the second half of the 17th century, blue-and-white tiles from Delft in the
Netherlands were introduced into Portugal. The Dutch created large tile panels
with historical scenes for their rich Portuguese clients. The Dutch tiles were
conceived by qualified painters, and both their technical superiority and blue
paintings (inspired by Chinese porcelain) were to the taste of the Portuguese
market.
Azulejos by Dutch master Willem van
der Kloet (1708) in the transept of the Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Nazaré; Nazaré, Portugal
(en.wikipedia.org).
However,
when King Pedro II stopped all imports of azulejos
between 1687 and 1698, Portuguese workshops took over the production. The
quality of Dutch tiles had forced Portuguese producers to react and employ
painters with academic training. Soon, large, home-made blue-and-white
figurative tiles, designed by academically trained Portuguese artists, became
the dominant fashion. The late 17th and early 18th centuries became the “Golden
Age of the Azulejo” or the “Cycle of
Masters,” and by the 18th century no other European country was producing as
many tiles as Portugal. Mass production was started not just because of a
greater internal demand, but also because large orders from the Portuguese
colony of Brazil. Churches, monasteries, palaces, and even houses were covered
inside and out with azulejos, many
with exuberant Baroque elements. Since this period of “Great Production”
coincided with the reign of King João V (1706-1750), the style of this period
is called Joanine. The continuation of the “Cycle of Masters” could still be
seen in the quality of the work of a number of later painters. Alongside the
religious themes ordered by the Church, the tiles used to decorate palaces began
to employ more bucolic, mythological, hunting, and warlike scenes, as well as
those taken from daily life at court.
Santarém, Portugal: Museu Diocesano – Queda de Jesus a caminho do Calvário
(Fall of Jesus on the way to Calvary); attributable to Policarpo de Oliveira
Bernardes (1695-1778), panel of azulejos
painted in blue and white. 18th century (with subsequent alterations) (Don
Madill).
Condeixa-a-Nova, Portugal: azulejo
panel of Christ falling with cross (1782), on side of a residence on street
(Don Madill).
The celebrations of the Stations of the Cross are the largest
religious festival held annually in Condeixa-a-Nova. One of the 14 stations is
marked by this azulejo panel, dated
1782, with a cross above it. It is on a private home, as were other stations,
many of which have since disappeared. There are seven of these crosses (without
azulejos) in different streets of the
town.
In
the mid-18th century, the tastes of Portuguese society were influenced by the
Rococo. The preference for organic forms (such as the irregular shell) can be
seen in delicate compositions in which the decorative effects were first
achieved by the use of two contrasting shades of blue and then by various
colors. Most of the figurative panels of the period display gallant and bucolic
scenes taken from Rococo engravings from central Europe.
The
reconstruction of Lisbon after the Great Earthquake of 1755 gave rise to a more
utilitarian role for decoration with azulejos.
This bare and functional style would become known as the Pombaline style, named
after the Marquis de Pombal, who was put in charge of the rebuilding. Small
devotional azulejo panels also began
to appear on buildings as protection against future disasters.
In
the first half of the 19th century, there was a stagnation in the production of
decorative tiles, owing first to the incursion of the Napoleonic army and later
to social and economic changes. The, around 1840, an industrialized production
began in Porto and then in Lisbon. While these industrialized methods produced
simple, stylized designs, the art of hand-painting tiles was not dead. These
hand-painted panels are fine examples of the eclectic Romantic culture of the
late 19th century.
In
the second half of the 19th century, the rise of a bourgeoisie linked to trade
and industry led to a new use for azulejos.
Using either industrial or semi-industrial techniques made production the major
Portuguese factories in Lisbon and Porto more rapid and precise; their color
and variations of light turned façades composed of standard-pattern tiles with
borders delimiting doors and windows into essential elements of Portuguese
urban architecture. The less expensive standard-pattern tiles covered thousands
of façades, transforming azulejo art
from interior decoration to an almost ostentatious external application.
Aguada de Baixo, Portugal: Igreja Matriz façade and tower covered with
patterned azulejos (Don Madill).
Azambuja, Portugal: business/residential building covered with patterned azulejos (Don Madill).
Azambuja, Portugal: residential building covered with patterned azulejos (Don Madill).
Azambuja, Portugal: business/residential building covered with patterned azulejos, and nameplate of owner above
door (Don Madill).
At
the start of the 20th century, Art Nouveau azulejos
started to appear, especially around the 1930s.
Art Nouveau azulejos on a shop in
Porto (en.wikipedia.org).
In
the first half of the 1930s, a “campanha
azulejar” (tile campaign) swept Portugal, covering the walls of markets,
railway stations, etc. with tile panels.
Santarém, Portugal: azulejo panel in
Mercado Municipal (City Market) (Mary-Theresa Madill).
Ansião, Portugal: azulejo panel from
1937 of Rainha Santa Isabel (Queen St. Isabel) giving alms to an old man, on
the side of a business (Don Madill).
The town takes its name from this old man
(ansião in Portuguese).
There
are many important and impressive examples of the use of azulejos in the city of Porto.
The
monumental decorations in the vestibule of the Estação São Bento railway station in Porto, consisting of 20,000 azulejos, show in historical themes the
narrative style of the romantic “picture postcard.” The station, which opened
in 1916, is known for its large, magnificent azulejo panels that depict scenes from the history of Portugal. The
tiles date from 1905-1916 and are the work of Jorge Colaço, the most important azulejo painter of the time. The panels
depict scenes from Porto everyday life, landscapes, ethnographic scenes, and
also historical events like the Battle of Arcos de Valdevez (1140), the meeting
of the knight Egas Moniz and Alfonso VII of León (12th century), the arrival of
King João I and Philippa of Lancaster in at the Cathedral of Porto (1387), and
the Conquest of Ceuta in Morocco by Prince henry the Navigator (1415). The
historical panels are the most notable.
Porto – Estação São Bento – right end of vestibule (en.wikipedia.org).
Porto - São Bento station – left end of vestibule (Don Madill).
Porto - São Bento station – large azulejo
panel over doors depicts Battle of Arcos de Valdevez; medium-size azulejo panel below it depicts the
meeting of the knight Egas Moniz and Alfonso VII of León (Don Madill).
Porto - São Bento station – Battle of
Arcos de Valdevez (Don Madill).
Porto - São Bento station – medium-size azulejo
panel, below the Battle of Arcos de Valdevez, depicts the meeting of the knight
Egas Moniz and Alfonso VII of León (Don Madill).
Porto - São Bento station – large azulejo
panel over doors depicts the arrival of King João I in Porto, to celebrate his
marriage to Philippa of Lancaster, with Cathedral in background; medium-size azulejo panel below it depicts Prince
Henry the Navigator in the conquest of Ceuta (Don Madill).
Porto - São Bento station – large azulejo
panel over doors depicts the arrival of King João I in Porto, to celebrate his
marriage to Philippa of Lancaster, with Cathedral in background (Don Madill).
Porto - São Bento station – medium-size azulejo
panel depicts Prince Henry the Navigator in the conquest of Ceuta (Don Madill).
Porto - São Bento station top panel seems to depict a bucolic scene of the 19th
century with women harvesting fruit [grapes and figs?]; lower panel shows boats
[on Tejo River], one ready to load a barrel (or Port wine) from an ox cart in the
river (Don Madill).
Porto - São Bento station – top panel depicts [wheat?] harvest; lower panel
shows a mill and ox cart in river (Don Madill).
Porto - São Bento station – four panels depicting everyday life in Porto,
including folk dancing (Don Madill).
Porto - São Bento station – top panel in this group depicts a religious
procession (Don Madill).
The
Cathedral in Porto also has a large
number of azulejo panels in its
cloister. The elegant Gothic cloister, built between the 14th and 15th
centuries during the reign of King João I, who married the English Princess
Philippa of Lancaster in the Porto Cathedral in 1387, are more outstanding than
the church itself. The walls of the cloister are covered with seven large
panels of magnificent blue and white ties from the 18th century, by Valentim de
Almeida (between 1729 and 1731), with scenes representing passages from the
Biblical “Song of Songs” (Song of Solomon) accompanied by subtitles in Latin, as
a reference to the mystical dialogue between God and the Virgin (patroness of
the Cathedral). The seven panels represent the Emergence of Perfection Meeting
of the Ideal, the Happiness of the Meeting, the Quietude of Possession, the Way
of Victory, the Final Prize, and Apotheosis. These scenes are framed by
architectural elements embellished with winding vines, seashells, putti and
angels, canopies with lambrequins, and curtains. The terrace above the cloister
(upper cloister promenade) has two walls decorated with huge tile panels by
António Vidal; some of these panels depict scenes from Ovid’s “Metamorphosis”
and the life of the Virgin Mary.
Porto – Cathedral cloister (commons.wikimedia.org from António Amen).
Porto - Cathedral cloister - panel (Don Madill).
Porto - Cathedral cloister - panel (Don Madill).
Porto - Cathedral cloister - panel (Don Madill).
Porto - Cathedral cloister -panel (Don Madill).
Porto - Cathedral cloister - panel (Don Madill).
Porto - Cathedral cloister –terrace above cloister (Don Madill).
Porto - Cathedral cloister – panels on left side of terrace above cloister (Don
Madill).
Porto - Cathedral cloister – panels of Ovid’s Metamorphosis on right side of terrace
above cloister (Don Madill).
Other
churches in Porto have facades adorned with azulejos.
The
Igreja do Santo Ildefonso, built in
two stages, the first 1709-1730 and the second 1730-1739. The hilltop Baroque
church is distinguished by its lovely blue and white tile panels that cover the
façade. Approximately 11,000 azulejo
tiles, created by the artist Jorge Colaço and emplaced in 1932,depict scenes
from the life of St. Ildefonso and figurative imagery from the Gospels.
Porto - Igreja do Santo Ildefonso - façade and towers (Don Madill).
Porto – Igreja do Santo Ildefonso - azulejo
panel of Jesus multiplying the loaves (commons.wikimedia.org).
Porto – Igreja do Santo Ildefonso – azulejo
panel of St. Ildefonso before Mary (commons.wikimedia.org).
The
Igreja dos Congregados (aka Igreja
de Santo António dos Congregados) was built between 1680 and 1703, with a
façade in the Baroque style. However, the windows of the façade are now
outlined with modern azulejo tiles
depicting scenes from the life of St. Anthony, by the artist Jorge Colaço, dating
back to 1920.
Porto Igreja dos Congregados – façade (Don Madill).
Porto – Igreja dos Congregados (comons.wikimedia.org).
Porto – Igreja dos Congregados (comons.wikimedia.org).
Porto – Igreja dos Congregados (comons.wikimedia.org).
The
Igreja do Carmo, built in the 18th
century (between 1750 and 1768), does not have azulejos on its façade, but an extraordinary side wall is
completely covered in blue and white tile panels. These panels, from 1912, were
designed by Silvestro Silvestri and painted by Carlos Branco from the nearby
town of Gaia and show the cult of Our Lady and foundation of the Order of
Carmelites.
Porto - Igreja do Carmo – façade and azulejo
panels on side wall (Don Madill).
Porto - Igreja do Carmo – largest azulejo
panel on outside wall (Don Madill).
The
Capela das Almas (Chapel of the
Souls, aka Capela de Santa Catarina), dating from the early 18th century, is
situated in the city of Porto, on the corner of the Rua de Santa Catarina. In
the early 20th century (1929), it was given a remarkable azulejo tiled decoration all over its exterior, with 15,947 tiles
that cover about 360 square meters of wall. The tiles, painted in the fashion
of the 18th century, are by painter and ceramist Eduardo Leite and were executed
by the Viúva Lamego ceramics factory in Lisbon. The panels depict “The Death of
St. Francis of Assisi,” “The Saint in the Presence of Pope Honorius III,” and
“The Martyrdom of St. Catherine” (mingling the lives of St. Catherine of Siena
and St. Catherine of Alexandria).
Porto – Capela das Almas (Capela de Santa Catarina) – tower, façade, and side
with azulejos (commons.wikimedia.org).
Porto – Capela das Almas (Capela de Santa Catarina) – side wall with azulejos panels (commons.wikimedia.org).
Porto - Capela das Almas (Capela de Santa Catarina) - “The Saint [Francis] in
the Presence of Pope Honorius III” at left; panel at right seems to be scene of
St. Francis’ vision of Christ while he prayed in a grotto near Assisi (commons.wikimedia.org).
Capela das Almas (Capela de Santa Catarina) – panel of “The Death of St.
Francis” (pt.wikipedia.org).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zellige Zellige.
http://www.golisbon.com/culture/azulejos.html Azulejos: The Art of Portuguese Ceramic Tiles.
http://www.museudoazulejo.pt/Data/Documents/Cronologia%20do%20Azulejo%20em%20Portugal.pdf Cronologia do Azulejo em Portugal.
http://cvc.instituto-camoes.pt/azulejos/eng/ The Art of Azulejo in Portugal.
http://www.azulejos.fr/index_en.html History of Azulejos.
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