Situated beside each other in the heart of Portugal’s coast city, Porto, are the impressive architecturally stellar structures: the Church of Saint Francis (Igreja de São Francisco) and the Stock Exchange Palace (Palácio da Bolsa). Built in the mid-1800s, the Stock Exchange Palace asserts neoclassicism with Palladian influences, sometimes referred to as neo-Palladian architectural style. Roman and Greek classical designs as well as the upper-level, signature Palladian portico clearly point to aspects of this prominent architectural style.
While the common characteristics of classical architecture are in the building’s granite façade—pediments, arches, and columns, its exterior appears monumentally stately, but staid compared to its interior. Inside are paintings, carvings, gilding, sculpting, and glassworks constructed by late 19th and early 20th-century artists.
