History
Torre dos Clérigos history
Nicolau Nasoni, the Brotherhood of the Clérigos and a granite tower finished in 1763: how the Clérigos complex was built and what it has been used for.
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The Clérigos complex was designed by Nicolau Nasoni for the Brotherhood of the Clérigos. The church was begun in 1732 and finished in 1750, and the bell tower and the divided stairway in front of the church were completed in 1763. The church survived the great earthquake of 1755, and the tower became the city's best-known landmark.
The brotherhood and its architect
A lay brotherhood, the Irmandade dos Clérigos, ordered the whole complex from Nicolau Nasoni, an Italian architect and painter. Nasoni was born in Tuscany in 1691, worked in Rome and Malta, and settled in Porto in the 1720s, staying until his death in 1773. He joined the brotherhood and was laid to rest, at his own request, in the crypt of the church, in an unmarked tomb. English Wikipedia's article on him calls the Clérigos Church his greatest work, a view it attributes to scholars.
Nasoni's other work in Porto
The Clérigos complex was not his only Porto commission. English Wikipedia lists the Palácio do Freixo of about 1750, and says he decorated Porto Cathedral with frescoes, added a granite porch in 1736 and a lateral loggia, and designed a silver altarpiece there. It also credits him with the Misericórdia Church and the Archbishop's Palace. He came to Porto at the invitation of the city's dean.
The church, 1732 to 1750
Building began in 1732 and the church was complete by 1750. It is laid out as an ellipse, one of Portugal's first Baroque churches to use that shape, and its side walls show the oval of the nave. The front is decorated with garlands and shells under a broken pediment. The church withstood the great earthquake of 1755, according to English Wikipedia's article on Nasoni.
The tower, 1754 to 1763
Nasoni presented the design of the tower in 1753 at the brotherhood's request, according to the Portuguese Wikipedia. It was built between 1754 and 1763 and rises about 75 metres in six stepped floors. English Wikipedia says the design is inspired by Tuscan campaniles, with Baroque decoration showing the influence of Roman Baroque. The tower stands at the back of the church building and, as the page puts it, dominates the city and is visible from many points.
A landmark in use
The tower did more than look impressive. The Portuguese Wikipedia says it was a navigation reference for boats heading up the Douro, and that it served as a daily noon signal and a commercial telegraph. That role is part of why English Wikipedia calls it the symbol of the city.
Read next: What to see at Torre dos Clérigos
National Monument and World Heritage
The Portuguese Wikipedia records the complex as a Monumento Nacional from 1910. UNESCO inscribed the Historic Centre of Porto on the World Heritage list in 1996, and the church and tower stand inside it. After a major restoration the complex was reinaugurated in 2014, and the project went on to win several awards. For a visitor the labels matter less than the result: a landmark that is protected, kept in repair and open to the public.
Bells and the night opening
The Portuguese Wikipedia says the tower houses a carillon acquired in 1995, one of the largest in the country. In 2015 the brotherhood announced that, after 250 years, the tower and church would open during night-time hours, as English Wikipedia reports, and the Diário de Notícias described the first summer of evening visits. The evening ticket sold today follows from that decision.
Who this isn't for
If you want a single clean date for every part of the story, the sources differ in small ways. The tower is variously given as about 75 or 76 metres high, and the steps as 225 or 240. This page uses the figures that the Wikipedia articles and Visit Porto give and leaves the rest to the steps guide.
Read next: How many steps in Torre dos Clérigos?
Frequently asked questions
Who built Torre dos Clérigos?
Nicolau Nasoni designed it for the Brotherhood of the Clérigos; he was an Italian architect and painter who lived in Porto. The tower went up between 1754 and 1763.
When was the church finished?
The church was begun in 1732 and finished in 1750. The tower and the divided stairway in front of the church followed in 1763.
Is Nasoni buried at Clérigos?
Yes. At his request he was buried in the church crypt in an unmarked tomb, and the exact place is not known.
Is the tower a protected monument?
Yes. It has been a Monumento Nacional since 1910 and stands within the Historic Centre of Porto, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1996.
Sources