Porto, Portugal — Southwestern Europe (Iberian Peninsula)

Rua das Flores / “Flowers Street”

— Porto World Heritage —

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, August 30, 2023

1. Rua das Flores / “Flowers Street” Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

A rua foi aberta a partir de 1521, em terrenos ocupados pelas hortas do Bispo. São ainda visíveis em algumas casas a roda de navalhas de Santa Catarina ou o Arcanjo São Miguel, esculpidos nos cunhais; eram estes os símbolos do Bispo ou do Cabido, com que se distinguiam desde essa época as propriedades que lhes deviam tributo. No séc. XIX, situavam-se aqui as lojas mais ricas do burgo. O lado Norte era tradicionalmente ocupado pelos ourives, subsistindo ainda hoje alguns estabelecimentos centenários; o lado Sul por comerciantes de outros ramos.

The street was opened from 1521 onwards and ran across horticultural land belonging to the Bishop. Some houses still bear the Bishop's or Chapter's symbols (St. Catherine's wheel of knives or the Archangel St-Michael) which marked the properties that had to play tribute. In the 19th century the street contained the borough's wealthiest shops. Traditionally the north side was occupied by goldsmiths, some of which still remain, while the south side was home to other trades.

(Marker Number 45.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed

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in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Roads & Vehicles. In addition, it is included in the Porto World Heritage series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1521.

Location. 41° 8.701′ N, 8° 36.683′ W. Marker is in Porto. Marker is at the intersection of Rua das Flores and Praça de Almeida Garrett, on the left when traveling west on Rua das Flores. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Rua das Flores 332, Porto 4000-069, Portugal. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Igreja dos Congregados (about 150 meters away, measured in a direct line); Cerca Primitiva / Early Wall (about 210 meters away); Chafariz do Anjo / Angel Fountain (about 240 meters away); Sé do Porto / Porto Cathedral (about 240 meters away); Torre de Rua de D. Pedro Pitões (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); Igreja da Ordem do Terço / Church of the Order of the Rosary (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); Palácio dos Condes de Azevedo (approx. 0.3 kilometers away); Chafariz da Rua Escura / Fountain of Rua Escura (approx. 0.3 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Porto.

Also see . . .
1. Rua das Flores (Porto) (Wikipedia, in Portuguese).

Excerpt
Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, August 30, 2023

2. Rua das Flores / “Flowers Street” and Marker
Looking west on Rua das Flores, from its eastern end. The marker is visible here on the left, below the “tourist service” sign.
(in translation): Rua das Flores is a street in the parishes of Sé and Vitória in the city of Porto, in Portugal.

The name of the street comes from the lush vegetable gardens, full of flowers, that existed on the land where the street was opened: the bishop's gardens.At the time, D. Pedro Álvares da Costa was Bishop of Porto, whose devotion to Saint Catherine of Mount Sinai explains the initial name of the street: "Rua de Santa Catarina das Flores".

The street was opened between 1521-1525… The opening of the new street, connecting Largo de São Domingos to Porta de Carros (currently Praça de Almeida Garrett), responded to the needs of population growth and economic development….

The construction of the new street coincided, on the one hand, with the end of the ancestral privilege of prohibiting nobles from staying in the city and, on the other, with the growing assertion of a mercantile bourgeoisie, cultivating a taste for large palaces and environments full of Lux. Rua das Flores is a beautiful example of the realization of these two trends.

(Submitted on December 24, 2023.)

2. Rua das Flores (Google Arts and Culture). 3 min. wordless montage video + pictures + snippets of text about the street.

Excerpt: Century-old Rua das Flores is now one of the most
circa 1910

3. Ruas Mousinho da Silveira e Flores
Of the two streets visible here on this postcard, Rua das Flores is the one on the right, and the marker site is only a few meters into the street, on the left side of it.
cosmopolitan and emblematic streets in Porto. Located in the historic centre, it has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1996.

(Submitted on December 24, 2023.)

Credits. This page was last revised on December 24, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 24, 2023, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 82 times since then and 35 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 24, 2023, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.