Guarda Cathedral

Guarda sits at 1,056 metres, the highest city in Portugal, on the northern flank of the Serra da Estrela, and its cathedral was begun in 1390 and finished around 1540 - a century and a half in which Gothic gave way to Manueline, so the building carries both, with flying buttresses and pinnacles outside, twisted Manueline columns in the nave, and a huge carved stone altarpiece of the 1550s attributed to the workshop of Jean de Rouen with over a hundred figures. It is built entirely of the local grey granite, which makes it severe and heavy in a way limestone cathedrals are not, and it was fortified, this being frontier country. The roof can be walked, giving the terraces, gargoyles and pinnacles at close range and the city and the serra beyond. The old town below has walls, a Jewish quarter and arcaded squares.

History

In 1199 King Sancho I won the Pope's permission to move the bishopric from Egitania to Guarda, and the first, Romanesque cathedral was soon replaced by a modest 13th-century church on another site. The present cathedral was begun in 1390 under Bishop Vasco de Lamego, building speeded up in 1504-1517 under Bishop Pedro Gavião, most work was finished around 1540, and a renovation of 1898 by Rosendo Carvalheira removed later additions to restore its Gothic and Manueline look (Wikipedia, Guarda Cathedral).

The main sights

• The granite - a cathedral built entirely in heavy grey local stone.
• The altarpiece - a carved stone retable of the 1550s with over a hundred figures.
• The roof walk - terraces, gargoyles and pinnacles with views over the serra.
• The two styles - Gothic structure finished with Manueline detail over 150 years.

When to go

April to October; Guarda's winters are the coldest in Portugal and snow is common. One hour including the roof.

Practical notes

Roof access is by narrow stairs and can be closed in wind or rain. The interior is dark and cold. Guarda is a working provincial city with limited other sights. Winter here is genuinely severe.

Nearby

The old town walls and Jewish quarter are around the cathedral; Serra da Estrela is south.

Key facts