Dom Pedro IV, Porto

Porto keeps Dom Pedro IV’s heart in the Church of Lapa, and one of the reliefs here commemorates its presentation to the city. The monument makes that bond between ruler and Porto remarkably physical. While you are stopped beside the square, take in the horseman above: Pedro IV is shown in the uniform of Caçadores 5, holding the Constitutional Charter of 1826 in his right hand and the reins in his left.

The statue rises on a ten-metre column and contains five tonnes of bronze. It was cast in Belgium, then inaugurated on 19 October 1866. Down at the pedestal, the other relief recalls the landing at Mindelo, where Pedro hands a flag to Tomás de Mello Breyner.

These scenes have had an eventful life themselves: the first versions were carved in Carrara marble, later exchanged for bronze, and the bronze panels stolen in 2007 were recreated from photographs and put back the following March. The inscription dedicates this work to Pedro IV from the city of Porto. Since 1982, the monument has held the status of Property of Public Interest. It is not simply an equestrian portrait; it gathers Porto’s loyalty, constitutional politics, and a very personal relic into one landmark at Liberdade Square.