St. Francis Convent, founded in the 13th century, was in ruins in 1832. Fire destroyed its cloister during the Liberal Wars. In 1841, Queen Mary II donated the ruins to the merchants of the city. The first stone was laid in 1842 to build the seat of the Commercial Association. The intricate interior was only finished in 1910. Palacio da Bolsa (Stock Exchange Palace) has been classified as a National Monument since 1982 and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The massive glass and steel domed ceiling of the Central Hall was the first thing that stood out. Natural light was bathing the Central Hall because of the domed ceiling. Bending backwards though was a required maneuver to get a good view of the massive domed ceiling. Natural light was also instrumental in highlighting the painted coat-of-arms of countries having commercial relationships with Portugal.
Random photographs of our travels. Memories found and captured in a photograph.
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[…] Random photographs of our travels. Memories found and captured in a photograph. […]
Love the picture. Seems like it was worth moving in an awkward position to take!
Awkward, yes. Satisfying, yes. It was funny because everybody else started to take photographs in the same awkward position 🤣.