WORLD HERITAGE
We are at the Gothic cloisters of the Porto Cathedral.
It dates back to the 14th and 15th centuries.
These walls are covered in 18th century tiles.
Being here is an emotional experience.
CENTER FOR THE NATIONAL CULTURE
This is a fundamental place for our roots and identity.
Mentioning the Porto Cathedral,
we see a very important collection of examples
that illustrate religious art in Portugal.
This main rose window dates back to the 14th century,
but there are several contributions from the 18th century as well.
Nasoni also worked at the Porto Cathedral.
This is where the name "Portugal" came from.
One can only comprehend our roots and identity upon visiting Porto
and understanding that Portugal is named after the city.
Jaime Cortesão used to say that Porto was our only City-State,
a city that became autonomous,
a city that had its own personality.
To this day, it is still known as "The Invictus City."
The status of "Invictus City" means precisely that:
a city with its own dignity,
which shows that it has never been conquered.
We fought here, at the Porto Cathedral,
a defensive element.
It is characteristic of the city and can never be forgotten.
Almeida Garrett used to say,
"We, at Porto, may confuse our Bs and Vs,
"but we'll never mistake freedom for tyranny."
That is what we feel, here at this location.
A location that is extremely beautiful and, at the same time,
a testament to our identity and roots.
We see here the grave of João Gordo, royal keeper from the 14th century.
We see it when we visit the Episcopal Pantheon.
We feel the history of Porto here.
When talking of Porto, we must mention Clérigos and Nicolau Nasoni.
The Clérigos Tower is emblematic of the city.
It's the best example of our local Baroque architecture.
It's an octagonal church from the outside,
but it has a single nave inside.
It has a semi-elliptical main altar,
which has influenced several other examples,
especially in Brazil.
Upon visiting Brazilian churches
in Ouro Preto, Recife, and Olinda,
we'll find resemblances
of what we have here at Clérigos.
It's a magnificent work of Nicolau Nasoni.
Thus, this Baroque architecture
has a far reach beyond where we are
here in this city.
In addition to giving Portugal its name,
the city also exported the Baroque art to South America.
This is Postigo do Carvão,
one of the 18 entrances to the Fernandina Wall.
The Wall was built by King Afonso IV and completed under King Fernando.
It was erected between 1336 and 1376.
Three segments of the original wall are still standing today.
This is one of them, where we are right now,
and it represents well the entrance
used by Porto residents at the time.
There are also the segments of Santa Clara and São João Novo.
This fortress represents what Porto was like
in the late Middle Ages.
It was a city of commerce,
a city that was completely aware of its autonomy,
a city that became a main bastion
to support the cause of King John of Aviz.
Actually, we can only comprehend the success of John of Aviz
upon understanding that the two main cities, Porto and Lisbon,
are the foundations of his activities and support.
This is the old warehouse for the Royal Customs House.
Prince Henry, the Navigator, is said to have been born here.
Whether he was indeed born here, it is unimportant.
I'd like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to
the Illustrious Generation, the High Royal Princes,
as Camões once referred to them.
The fact is that Prince Henry was born in Porto,
the son of Philippa of Lancaster and King John of Aviz.
King John of Aviz initiated a new era in Portuguese Dynasty.
It represented a deep innovation in Public Right.
He based his ruling in the legitimacy of the nation.
This is why it is a tribute to the city of Porto itself,
where the legitimacy of the nation is praised so deeply.
I mention Prince Henry,
whose motto was "talent de bien faire,"
because he had a unique role in the history of Portugal,
along with his brothers:
Edward, King of Portugal,
and Peter, Duke of Coimbra.
Whether Henry the Navigator was the force behind Portugal's discoveries,
it is all due to the fact
that Peter traveled through Europe
and collected information on which to base such an ambitious venture.
Said venture started with a small book Peter brought from Venice:
The Travels of Marco Polo,
in which the Venetian explorer narrated
how he had reached Asia.
There, in Asia, Marco Polo had discovered another civilization.
Upon returning to Europe, he had been through India.
We can only comprehend this new moment in Portuguese history
upon mentioning Porto, Prince Henry and his brothers.
This is the so-called "living room" of Porto:
the Arab Room, at the Stock Exchange Palace.
It is an example of the Moorish Revival architecture
from the late 19th century and early 20th century.
It was inspired by the Alhambra Palace in Granada.
It's a testament to the importance and influence
of the association headquartered here:
Porto's Commercial Association.
There is a year inscribed in the facade: 1834.
It is when the Association was founded, but also
the year when the Liberal Cause celebrated its victory.
It was the cause of King Peter IV,
who had set his camp, his military headquarters,
here in Porto in 1832
and achieved his goal:
to take control of the country.
The Liberal Cause is dear to the heart of the people of Porto.
It was here, on August 24, 1820
where the first Liberal Revolution took place.
The Revolution resulted in the Constitution of 1822.
It was not by chance that, in 1832,
The Braves of Mindelo came here.
By 1834, they would be victorious.
AUGUST 2, 1834
Looking at this building,
and observing its features,
not only this room, but also the Trade Court,
the Main Courtyard where Stock Exchange activities took place,
we can see that this building is
a testament not only to the relevance of commerce in Porto
and how important autonomy is to Porto residents,
but also the relevance of the civic demonstrations
that have taken place here.
This is where the first industrial school was founded.
This school trained workers,
as well as Porto residents in general,
so they could address the demands
of modernization and development.
In such a beautiful place,
which is also such a rich environment,
we can see labor being recognized
as an effort that is essential to development.
At the Fountain of the Virtues, let's address the culture of Porto.
Let's talk about Porto of the 20th century.
A city built upon the legacy of the last 19th century generations.
This is where the 1870s generation was,
where the concept of a new life was created.
Oliveira Martins, Antero de Quental,
Eça de Queiroz and Ramalho Ortigão were here.
However, in the early 20th century
the "Eagle Men" of the Portuguese Renaissance were here as well.
CENTER FOR THE NATIONAL CULTURE
They witnessed the testimony of Sampaio Bruno
and all others present at the January 31st Movement.
This cultural side of Porto
wanted to reinforce the idea of autonomy and freedom.
It is the same Porto whose La Aguia magazine
welcomed collaborators such as Jaime Cortesão, António Sérgio
and Fernando Pessoa.
In sum, there was a convergence of
everything that, in the 20th century,
would represent creativity and artistic and intellectual innovation.
This cultural side of Porto is that of the Pedras Vivas community.
It is the side of Porto that has been faithful to tradition
and finds its ground at the birth of a nation,
always taking a dynamic and relevant perspective
to move forward as a city that is essentially free.
This free city is the city of poets.
In the 20th century, we have here the poetry of Eugénio de Andrade,
or the poetry of Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen.
Sophia was born here, in Porto.
We can only interpret her poetry,
we can only study her art
by coming here to see the people of Porto
and the best of Portugal.
Subtitles: Babel Subtitling - babelSUB.be