Draft:Architecture of Guimarães

The architecture of Guimarães represents a blend of Medieval, Gothic, Neoclassical, and local styles. This variety is evident in the city's structures, such as the Castle of Guimarães and the Padrão do Salado, as well as in its Renaissance and Rococo buildings, which extensively use the abundant local granite. The Historic Centre of Guimarães, where you can find buildings that follow every major architectural style from the Romanesque to the Contemporary, was declared a World Heritage Site in 2001 and later expanded in 2023 due to it’s extremely well preserved state and size.

Castro Architecture

Pre-Roman Settlement

During the Castro culture era, stonework became a mainstream technique, paving the way that allowed people from that time to build granite houses, sturdier and more stable than their wood and hay counterparts.

The Citânia de Briteiros, located a mere 9km from Guimarães and considered the city’s predecessor, even though other settlements in the area exist such as the Citânia de Sabroso, dates back to the Late Neolithic and Chalcolithic periods, when several panels with rock engravings were carved into the granite cliffs of the eastern slope of the castro settlement. As a habitat, the permanent occupation of the site can be dated back to the beginning of the 1st millennium BC, falling within the period known as the Atlantic Bronze Age. The Citânia's golden phase extends from the 2nd century BC to the change of era, and it was still inhabited after the integration of the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula into the Roman Empire, during the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. In the 10th century, a small Christian hermitage was built on the acropolis, among the rubble of the old settlement.

One characteristic from these settlements are the Pedras formosas, Portuguese for "beauty stones". These were elaborated and sculpted slabs used as door frames for the inner room. Another characteristic element of Castro culture was warrior statues, representations of the leaders and glorification of the ancestors, which evolved from the stele statues of the Bronze Age and later became associated with Mediterranean and Celtic elements.

Roman conquest and decline

The territory was definitively conquered by Roman troops around 19 BC, After a conflict that lasted around two hundred years. During this process, the inhabitants of Citânia de Briteiros were connected to other regions already under Roman rule, as can be seen by the presence of many fragments of wine amphorae from Baetica, which had been taken by the forces of Julius Caesar in 61 BC. The territory where Citânia de Briteiros was located may not have been taken through a military campaign, but through a more peaceful integration into the Roman sphere of control, a process that would have been facilitated by trade and agreements with the authorities. This theory is reinforced by the presence of trade links between the region and neighboring territories already controlled by Rome, in addition to the fact that there are no documentary records of battles of note in this area during this period.

Characteristics

Buildings in the Citânias are typically circular, with diameters of between 4 and 5 meters and with walls 30 to 40 cm thick. The granite rocks were split and placed in two lines, with the smoother side on the outside and the inside of the house. The settlements are usually surrounded by a thick stone wall, with the Citânia de Briteiros even having 4 distinct ones.

Castro architecture

Castro houses reconstructed by Martins Sarmento at the Citânia de Briteiros Pedra Formosa at the Citânia de Briteiros A cobble street at the Citânia de Briteiros Cobble wall at the Citânia de Sabroso Drawing of the remains of a doorframe of a house at the Citânia de Sabroso

Roman Architecture

There isn’t much Roman presence in Guimarães, however, some bridges, notably the Roman Bridge of Negrelos and the Taipas Bridge, do pose as landmarks from that era.

Romanesque Architecture

Romanesque architecture

Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Oliveira São Domingos Cloister Church of São Miguel do Castelo, where king Afonso Henriques was baptized. 11th century Chapel of São Torcato, modified in the 1800s Santa Cristina de Serzedelo Church

Gothic Architecture

The Historic Centre of Guimarães is rich with Gothic buildings and structures. The city's main landmarks, such as the Castle of Guimarães, the Padrão do Salado, the medieval walls, and numerous religious buildings, all exemplify this architectural style.

Renaissance Architecture

Renaissance architecture in Guimarães never had the same scale as the bigger cities in the country such as Lisbon or Porto, however some religious and one urban examples show that this era still impacted the city.

Since Guimarães was relatively isolated during the Renaissance, the buildings had to rely heavily on local resources, with granite being the predominant material. As a result, the Renaissance architecture in the city is significantly influenced by granite.

Some examples of this architectural style in the city include the Santa Marinha da Costa Monastery and the Convent of São Francisco, both serving as religious examples. The Padrão de D. João I stands as a notable monument of this style, while the Casa Mota-Prego represents the only urban example of this architectural influence in the city.

Although the Renaissance buildings in Guimarães may not resemble traditional Renaissance architecture at first glance due to the heavy presence of granite, they still retain many of the architectural style's defining characteristics.

Renaissance Architecture

The Mosteiro de Santa Marinha da Costa, orginaly built following the Romanesque style, now is a prime example of Renaissance architecture using the abundant local granite The Casa Mota-Prego, built inn the 1500s, follows many of the chracteristics of Renaissance architecture The Padrão de D. João I represents a Baldachin and it was built in the first half of the 1500s The Convent of São Francisco, located next to the gothic Church of São Francisco.

Manueline Architecture

Manueline Architecture

Although the Palace of the Dukes of Braganza suffered massive restoration works from 1937 to 1959, it follows the Manueline style with heavy Gothic influence.

See also

• Guimarães
• List of buildings in Guimarães
• List of religious buildings in Guimarães