Muralha Velha, Porto

Muralha Velha is a remnant of Porto’s ancient defensive enclosure. Only a cubelo, a small tower, and a short wall section survive; both were rebuilt during the twentieth century. Its origins lie in Roman construction during the third century, and rebuilding reshaped it in the twelfth.

The enclosure traced roughly seven hundred and fifty metres around Pena Ventosa, enclosing less than four hectares with Porto Cathedral as its focal point. Notice the cubelo’s rough masonry: this modest fragment once belonged to a boundary with gates at Vandoma, São Sebastião, Sant’Ana, and the gate later called Nossa Senhora das Verdades. As Porto expanded, a newer defensive circuit became necessary during the fourteenth century: the Fernandinas walls.