ESTAÇÃO (STATION) SÃO BENTO
When the railway arrived in Portugal at the end of the 19th century, it took almost thirty years to build the railway station in the centre of Porto. It is located on the site of the São Bento Convent (16th century), whose destruction was one of the illustrations of the millenary antagonism between the merchants and authorities of the city and the Church. From temporary installations to partial demolitions of the convent, whose name the station has kept, it was inaugurated in 1916, although the first project was presented in 1887. After more than 50 years as a mixed freight and passenger station, it is now used only for passenger transport, in connection with the Campanhã station, located 3 km to the north (which can be reached by metro).
It is a vast building considered as one of the ten most beautiful stations in the world (and the most beautiful in Portugal) with its wrought iron clock, but especially its large hall of lost steps nicely decorated with azulejos created by Jorge Colaço in 1914. You could stay there for hours to admire each "painting" presented before your eyes and, when you think you've done the trick, you discover new ones hidden here and there in the nooks and crannies, to your great delight. To fully enjoy it, however, come at the end of the day when there is less traffic. A must-see during your stay in Porto because it is a place not to be missed.
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