Palácio da Justiça, Porto
The Palácio da Justiça in Porto, northern Portugal is the main law court in the city. It holds both the Tribunal da Relação do Porto (Court of Appeal) and the Tribunal Judicial da Comarca do Porto (Porto District Judicial Court).
It is monumental in size with 8 floors covering an area of 3,600 2 meters. The architecture is very much in the style of the Estado Novo.
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| The court opened in 1961 |
History
Construction of the building began in 1958, it was designed by architect Raul Rodrigues Lima. The building was inaugurated on October 20, 1961, by then President of the Republic Admiral Américo Deus Rodrigues Thomaz.
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| The statue stands 7 meters in height |
Architecture
The structure has a granite stone facade, with a gallery of ten pillars that support the entrance to the atrium and, next to it, several other pillars in a semicircle.
In the connection between the two there is a 7-meter tall statue of Justice by the sculptor Leopoldo de Almeida (1898-1975). At the bottom of the statue are biblical and allegorical references to the four cardinal virtues (Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, Temperance) in a low relief in granite by the sculptor Euclides Vaz (1916-1991).
Altogether the building contains around 50 art pieces among them bas-relief, frescoes, paintings, tapestries and statues.
On the second floor in the Hall of Lost Steps (Passos Perdidos) are 5 frescoes by João Martins da Costa (1921-2005) with biblical scenes depicting Civil Law in a divine order. Also here are 2 bas-reliefs by Henrique Moreira (1890-1979) one is of a pillory, the other shows judges in their robes.
On the third floor are frescoes by Antonio Coelho de Figueiredo representing the last destinies of Man: death, judgement, hell, heaven.
Other important works include statues of Ferreira Borges (1786-1836) and João Pedro Ribeiro (1759-1839) in the hallway by Lagoa Henriques (1923-2009) and Gustavo Bastos (1928-2014).
The entrance porch has five, 3-meter tall granite statues by Salvador Barata Feyo (1902-1990) and on the 4th floor is a fresco by Augusto Gomes (1910-1976) - Criação da Casa da Relação do Porto.
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| The architecture reflects the style of the Estado Novo |
Access - Getting There
Campo dos Mártires da Pátria, 4099-012 Porto
Tel: 22 0949 400
Porto tram 18 stops outside the nearby Hospital de Santo Antonio as do the following Portugal buses: 200, 201, 207, 208, 301, 307 and 501 as well as the night buses 12M and 13M.
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| Statue of Justice by the sculptor Leopoldo de Almeida (1898-1975) |
Nearby
Close by are the Italian Consulate, the Jardim da Cordoaria and the Hospital de Santo Antonio. On the south side of the Jardim da Cordoaria is the related Museu do Tribunal da Relação do Porto, created in 1991.
The museum has displays on the judicial history of Porto including very old law books as well as information on the lives of various important people who had a role in the history of the city and the country at large.
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| The large building has 8 floors covering an area of 3,600 square meters |
More on Porto
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| The Duke of Wellington statue in Porto |
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