São João National Theatre
The São João National Theatre is situated on Praça da Batalha. It was designed by José Marques da Silva - who shaped the architecture of the city in the early twentieth century and influenced the subsequent generations of architects. It opened in 1920 and is today a classified monument. It replaces the old Royal Theatre of São João from 1798, which was a tribute to the then Prince Regent, D. João VI, and was the first theater built from the ground up exclusively for the performing arts in Porto until it was destroyed by a fire in 1908.
The current São João National Theatre went through a phase when it functioned as a cinema. After it was acquired by the Portuguese State in 1992, it was restored, remodeled and reequipped according to a project by architect João Carreira. Today, it has regular artistic performances and is one of the main theaters of the city.