Didn’t you wonder why Capela de Sāo João de Pedra Leital stands so serenely amidst the urban sprawl? This isn’t just a parish church. It’s a testament to centuries of faith. This house of worship is located in the Largo da Igreja da Foz. It is surrounded by residential buildings.
Capela de Sāo João de Pedra Leital is a religious building with a longitudinal plan. It features a single nave and a rectangular chancel. The articulated volumes have different roofs of two waters. The main facade presents pilasters sectioned at the corners. It is pierced by a central portal with pilasters. These pilasters support a circular pediment. The pediment is interrupted by a niche. Inside the niche is an image of Saint John the Baptist.
Around the height of the transom and on each side of the portal is a niche with a triangular pediment. Above each niche is a window. The windows have an octagonal oculus in the center. The facade is topped by a circular pediment. This pediment runs between two bell towers. Urns sit on the corners of the towers.
Inside Capela de Sāo João de Pedra Leital you can see a high choir and a baptismal chapel below it. There are eight side chapels with carved altarpieces. These are topped by frontispieces. Two square pulpits feature railings and frontispieces also in carved wood. The roof features a lunette vault. Its sections are marked in stonework. The triumphal arch is full and surrounded by a stonework structure. It is crowned by a pediment interrupted by a cartouche. Two corbels flank it. On the left is an image of Saint Anthony. On the right is Saint Dominic.
The deep chancel features windows topped by carved frontispieces. There is a gilded carved altarpiece with a central throne. The chancel has a masonry barrel vault with coffers marked in stonework.
The side altars have different dedications. On the Gospel side are Santa Gertrudes Nossa Senhora de Fátima Senhor da Cana Verde and Senhora das Dores. On the Epistle side are Nossa Senhora da Graça Senhor dos Aflitos or dos Passos Sagrado Coração de Jesus and Nossa Senhora do Rosário.
The construction of Capela de Sāo João de Pedra Leital goes back to the 17th century. In 1640 the Benedictine Monks of Santo Tirso received land near the Douro’s mouth. This land was a donation from Friar André Marques de Almeida. He had received it from Friar Luís Álvares de Távora. Construction of the new church started immediately.
In 1647 the works on the Forte de S. João da Foz concluded. The church of S. João da Foz inside the fortification stopped operating as the main church. It moved to the Chapel of Santa Anastácia. This chapel was on a small hill east of the Fort.
The first stone of the chancel was laid between 1709 and 1712. In 1726 the chancel was completed. Its costs were covered by the Foz coreto income. The altarpieces of Bom Sucesso Senhor Jesus Senhora do Rosário Santa Gertrudes and their images were constructed between 1713 and 1715.
In 1728 improvements were made to the nave’s vault bell towers frontispiece arch of the chancel and the church’s front courtyard. The last section of vaults over the choir bell towers of the frontispiece and front courtyard were completed between 1731 and 1733. The choir was erected. Manuel da Costa Andrade executed the main altarpiece in 1734. Miguel Francisco da Silva designed it.
A new altarpiece for the chancel was executed in 1735. Miguel Francisco da Silva also designed this. The main altar was consecrated on June 23 1736. Construction of the Audience House took place between 1743 and 1745. In 1797 the chancel benches were made. The windbreak and several confessionals were executed between 1813 and 1815. The main door was plated between 1816 and 1818.
Today Capela de Sāo João de Pedra Leital remains a parish church. It stands as a reminder of Porto’s deep religious roots. Its architecture and history offer a glimpse into the city’s past. Take a moment to appreciate the faith and artistry that shaped this sacred place.