Santiago Square

This is very ancient square, mentioned in various documents throughout the ages and which still maintains its mediaeval aspect. The Franks who came to Portugal in the company of Count D.Henrique settled in this neighbourhood.

The square is named after St.James who, according to legend, brought an image of the Virgin Mary to Guimarães and placed it in a pagan temple that stood here. In the 17th century a chapel, with a porch, was build here dedicated to the apostle, but it was demolished at the end oh the 19th.

Church of S.Dâmaso

The construction of the church was begun in the first half of the 17th century and only finished in the following century. The chancel has a fine gilt carved altar-piece, work of the local craftsman Pedro Coelho, and a coffered ceiling. The nave is also decorated with panels in the Portuguese style from the 17th and early 18th centuries. The carvings combine admirably with the narrative tiles which decorate its interior: Executed during the first half of the 18th century they relate episodes from the life of the 4th century Pope , St. Damasus, and are attributed to the artist who signed his work with the initials PMP.

The Palace of the Dukes of Bragança

The majestic stately home was built in the 15th century at the order of the ilegitimate son of King D.João I, Afonso, who was to become the Duke of Bragança. He lived here with his second wife Constança de Noronha. It is a unique example on the Iberian peninsula of a fortified housa influenced by the manorial architecture of Northem Europe, typified by the steepy inclined roofs and cylindrical chimneys. From the 16th century onwards the palace suffered a progressive decline leading to its almost complete ruin by the 20th century. Rebuilding began in 1937 and continue until 1959, at which time it was transformed into a museum open to the public, housing a collection dating from the 17th and 18th centuries. Of the present collection a set of copies of four tapestries by Pastrana are especially important in relation to the history of the Portuguese expansion.
They narrate episodes from the subjugation of N.Africa , namely the conquest of Arzila and Tangier: Ordered by the Portuguese king, Afonso V, the originals, which are now in Spain, were made im Tournais in the 15th century after drawings attributed to Nuno Gonçalves. These unique copies, executed by the Real Fábric de Tapices de Madrid, were acquired by the Portuguese state in 1957. There is also a collection of Flemish tapestries whose theme is episode from the life of a roman consul. These tapestries, executed fter cartoons by the Pieter Paul Rubens, are notable for the rendition of the draperies and the play of shadows. Another collection on display is furniture from the period following the Portuguese discoveries. Special attention should go to a group of cabinets fitted with multipe drawers classed as varguenos, an anglicised form of the Spanish designayion bargeños.
They include examples of Indo-Portuguese manufacture, others in what is know as the Mudéjar style, and some fine Spanish pieces. Ornamenting the furnitur is a major collection of porcelain from de "Companhia das índias", and Portuguese faience from the main producers of the period: Prado, Viana, Rocha Soares and Rato.
In one the rooms there is a display of weapons including examples of blades, fire-arms and parts of armour dating from the 15th and 16th centuries which were collected by the Viscount of Pindela and subsequently acquired by the state. The Palace is to, classified as a National Monument.

Chapel of S.Miguel

The Small chapel of great simplicity was built at the beginning of the 12th century in Romanesque style probably at the order of Count Henry. It has a symbolic link to the fouding of the nation as tradition states that King Afonso Henriques was baptised here. Inside, the floor is paved with the sepulchres attributed to the noble warriors who fought alongside him at the founding of the nation. It is classified as a National Monument.

Guimarães castle

The Guimarães Castle, located in the city of Guimarães, Portugal, was ordered to be built by Dona Mumadona Dias in the 10th century. in order to defend its monastery from Muslim and Norman attacks.
Count Dom Henrique(to who the Portuguese county of Portucale had been granted) chose Guimarães to establish his court. The fortress, then over a century old, needed urgent renovation. The nobleman chose to destroy what remained from Mumadona's construction, while extending the area of the castle and adding two entrances. The castle continued to be the official royal residence through much of the 11th and 12th centuries.
In 1836, a member of the Sociedade Patriótica Vimaranense (Patriotic Society of Guimarães) defended the demolition of the Castle, and suggested the use of its stones to pave the streets of Guimarães, as the fortress had been used as a political prison during the reign of King Michael. However, this was never accepted. 45 years later, on March 19, 1881, the Diário do Governo (Official Journal) listed the Guimarães Castle as the most unique historic monument of the whole region of Minho.
In 1910 the Castle was declared a national monument. In 1937, the General Service for National Buildings and Monuments started its great restoration, which concluded with the inauguration of the castle's present symbolic status on June 4, 1940.