Palace of São João Novo

The Palace of São João Novo, which is classified as a preserved national heritage Building, is a palatial house of the eighteenth century that is practically leaning against the Fernandina Wall. It's a typical example of urban baroque architecture and was built in 1727 by Pedro Costa Lima, a gentleman of the Royal Household and administrator of the Ribeira dockyards.

Its project was for many years attributed to Nicolau Nasoni, but it’s now known that parts of the palace were actually elaborated by Antonio Pereira. It was the home of illustrious Porto families – as can be seen by the granite coat of arms that tops the main entrance – but it also functioned as a military hospital during the Siege of Porto, as the Commercial Typography of Porto, and as the Museum of Ethnography and History.

A fire in 1984 further precipitated the deterioration of the property which has been closed since 1992.