Urban and architectural ennoblement of the city: Designing Rua do Loureiro, Porto

Abstract

The heritage valuation of urban processes -their parcelary and allotment structure, typological, formal and constructive aspects- in the metamorphosis of cities is the underlying problem under discussion in this paper. The opening of Rua das Flores in 1521 by D. Manuel I, connecting Largo do Convento de S. Domingos with Porta de Carros, followed his foundation of the Mosteiro de S. Bento da Avé Maria in 1518, both works in order to ennoble the city. Taking the same idea, the Benedicte nuns organised the space in front of their church, ennobling it by designing Rua do Loureiro. Replacing the old and by them occupied Rua de Carros -also leading to relocate Porta de Carros-, the nuns profited from one of their land parcels, allotting grounds -considering principles of measurement and modulation- and establishing volumetric and constructive rules to private buildings in their new southern front of the Terreiro. By identifying and drawing overlapped transformation layers in time, we developed a backwards process that, at some point, allows us a plausible onwards reconstitution of the urban and architectural design process, namely three main moments of urban transformation of Rua do Loureiro over five centuries: mid-16th, second half of 18th and early 20th centuries. Impressively, the matrix initially established prevails on the southern front of the street, despite the profound transformations inherent to the replacement of the monastery by the central railway station. [1488]