Pediment of the City Hall

Category: Civil Architecture > Memorial

District: Porto > Porto > Porto > Vilar

Location

Although the reference indicates the Vilar urbanization, the architectural element known as the City Hall Pediment (Frontão dos Paços do Concelho) is part of the imposing Porto City Hall building. This is located in the civic heart of the city, at the northern end of the magnificent Avenida dos Aliados, converging into Praça do General Humberto Delgado. Its central and prominent position makes it a visible and easily accessible landmark, dominating one of Porto's main urban arteries.

An Architectural Symbol

The City Hall Pediment is an integral part of the majestic main façade of the City Hall building, oriented to the south, revealing an architecture of great expressiveness. Built predominantly of granite ashlar, this element is set in a style that drew inspiration from Parisian operas and the grand palaces of Northern France and Flanders from the late 19th century, giving it a monumental presence and rich ornamentation.

The Sculptural Richness

The pediment itself, in the middle register of the main façade, features a tympanum that houses a stone sculpture of the arms of the Portuguese Republic. Laterally, flanking the main door, two atlantes, robust male figures, can be seen, appearing to support the central balcony. Further above, beneath the cornice, twelve coats of arms are reproduced, representing the parishes of the Porto municipality at the time of the building's construction. At the top, twelve Hellenic-tradition caryatids crown the façade, symbolizing various areas of knowledge and human activity, such as Navigation, Fishing, Agriculture, Industry, Sciences, Architecture, Sculpture, Painting, Music, and Literature, among others.

Echoes of the Past

It is interesting to note that the pediment currently observed at the City Hall on Avenida dos Aliados displays the republican coat of arms. However, the building that previously housed the City Hall, in Praça da Liberdade (formerly Praça Nova), also had a distinct pediment, with the city's arms according to the royal charter of 1813. This original 19th-century coat of arms, an artifact of historical value, is now preserved in the reserves of the Soares dos Reis National Museum, testifying to the city's symbolic and architectural evolution.

License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt