Estação de São Bento, Porto

Porto–São Bento is the city’s railway station, but its grand hall feels like a civic picture gallery. [The building began to take shape in nineteen oh four under Porto architect José Marques da Silva.] Inside, [Jorge Colaço created roughly twenty thousand glazed ceramic tiles across about five hundred and fifty-one square metres.]

Let the vast tile panels draw you through Portugal’s past: [they show the tournament at Arcos de Valdevez, Egas Moniz’s encounter with Alfonso the Seventh, the arrival of King João the First and Philippa in Porto, and the capture of Ceuta.] Around them, [multicoloured scenes portray rural work and communities from different parts of the country.] This is a working terminus built where [the convent of São Bento da Avé Maria once stood; it was demolished after the final nun died in eighteen ninety-two.]