Looking at Porto (IV) – Batalha and Santa Catarina

[By Paulo Mendes, Symposium Correspondent, in Porto] From
Praça da Liberdade, where I left you standing on my second post, we
went up to explore the Clérigos and Carmo. Now it’s time to take the opposite direction by climbing the 31 de Janeiro street. It will
take us to the busy areas of Batalha and Santa Catarina.

The
beautiful tiled church of Santo Ildefonso stands at the top of this
steep and old street; To the right is the Batalha square. To the left
is Santa Catarina street. We shall start with Batalha, but before don’t
forget to turn back and enjoy the amazing rollercoaster view of Clérigos tower and
street from this point.

The
“L” shaped Batalha square offers many views for great sketches,
with the above mentioned church at one end, and the São João National Theatre
at the other, half of this last we see peeking behind the
buildings at right. With lots of seats and pleasant tree shades, this
is a square that promotes conviviality, always full with local
people, tourists from the surrounding hotels, and immigrants from the
multicultural neighborhood on the nearby streets like the one at
right, which also connects to São Bento station through a
picturesque set of old winding narrow streets with small shops.

The
tram line 22 will follow alongside the theatre to end a few meters
ahead, near the upper station of the Guindais funicular, a fast
connection back down to the typical riverside Ribeira.

Another
way to access this square from São Bento station is via the steep
Madeira street. It offers a great view of the station, the Clérigos
tower at the bottom, and the old surrounding roofs. In a sunny day,
the afternoon backlight provides great compositions. You can seat on the stairs while sketching and resting your legs.

Santa
Catarina is the busiest street in Porto and the main commercial area;
All the best known chain stores are here, as well as many local
others. “It’s a shoe paradise”, I’ve heard from an excited
American talking on the phone. It’s also the place of the famous
Majestic Cafe, known for its gorgeous art-nouveau interior, its
entrance seen here behind the parasols. Constantly roamed by a
multitude of people, this busy street is a place of election for many
street artisans and musicians like the lovely Patrícia, a highly
talented concertina player who made my sketching job so much more
pleasant!

The beautifully tiled Capela das Almas, literally Chapel of Souls, probably the
most photographed in the city, is another landmark in this street. A
curiosity (and a bit of a spoiler…) about the tiles is that despite
their old look, they actually date from 1927. The old typical and
battered Bolhão market is just a few steps away, but unfortunately
you won’t be able to visit as it closed down for a 2-year major
renewal.

On
my next post we shall go back to the riverside and old historical
quarters; How about crossing the bridge?