São João National Theatre
Porto's Beaux-Arts national theatre on Praça da Batalha, with drama, dance and guided tours.
A theatre has stood on Praça da Batalha since 1798, when an Italian-style opera house designed by Vicente Mazzoneschi opened there. That building burned down in 1908, and the present one was raised in its place to a design by the Porto architect José Marques da Silva, opening in 1920. Its Beaux-Arts facade of carved granite and marble, crowded with allegorical sculpture, faces the square, while the horseshoe auditorium behind it seats around 700 on four levels.
The building served for decades as a cinema before being bought by the state, restored and reopened as a theatre in 1995. It gives its name to the Teatro Nacional São João, one of Portugal's three national theatres, which also runs the smaller Teatro Carlos Alberto and the São Bento da Vitória Monastery. The programme mixes classic and contemporary drama with dance, concerts, readings and talks, much of it produced in-house.
Highlights
- Beaux-Arts granite facade by José Marques da Silva, completed in 1920
- Horseshoe auditorium on four levels seating around 700
- One of Portugal's three national theatres, founded in 1992
- Guided tours with audio guides in English, French and Spanish
