Seminário Maior (Major Seminary)

Classification: Monument|Religious Site

It is a unique building due to its Italian architecture and features several spaces that are worth a closer look.

Highlights include the Church of the Holy Family, with its dome, considered one of the most beautiful in the country; the Chapel-Reliquary of St. Michael; the Old Library, with over 9,000 books dating from between 1507 and 1800; the episcopal chambers; the tile room; and the Mondego Balcony, which offers a magnificent view over the city. Of particular note are a woodcut by Monsignor Nunes Pereira, a painting by the famous painter Grão Vasco, and the 18th-century pipe organ, built in 1762 by João Fontana de Maquera, which falls into the category of “Iberian organs” and has 1,500 pipes.