Inside the Clergy Church - Dentro a Igreja dos Clérigos

I've already posted about the famous tower in Porto, torre dos clerigos . It is the bell tower to the beautiful Clergy (or Clerics) Church.

Tower Photo by Christopher Hooper

The inside of the church is gorgeous!

We happened to come in from the tower side at the balcony level. A wedding had just ended and we heard a violin playing with the organ. I got a tiny 2 second video clip of their music. 

Isn't it incredible? There are pipes on each side of the nave help for my Baptist friends.
The organ console is under the pipes you see here.

 Here is a view of the altar area from the balcony. It's difficult to grasp the scale of the room from these pictures.

Those little statues aren't little at all. Here are some closer shots of them.

St. Phillip

Look at what Phillip had to say about Jesus.

There are two great stories about Philip in Acts 8.

Acts 8

Philip wanted everyone to know about Jesus.

3Acts 8:35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. 

Atos 8:35 Então Filipe, começando com aquela passagem da Escritura, anunciou-lhe as boas-novas de Jesus.

This is Saint Peter. He is one of the most famous of Jesus' disciples.

Here's part of what he said about Jesus. 

Matthew 16:15“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” 

16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” 

Mateus 16:15 “E vocês?”, perguntou ele. “Quem vocês dizem que eu sou?” 

16 Simão Pedro respondeu: “Tu és o Cristo, o Filho do Deus vivo”.

 He also wrote two of the books in the New Testament, 1 Peter and 2 Peter.
 1 Peter  1 Pedro 2 Peter 2 Pedro
1 Peter 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 
1 Pedro 1:3 Bendito seja o Deus e Pai de nosso Senhor Jesus Cristo! Conforme a sua grande misericórdia, ele nos regenerou para uma esperança viva, por meio da ressurreição de Jesus Cristo dentre os mortos,

Here are some more pictures from the interior of this incredible church.

Torre dos Clerigos - The Clerics Tower

You see it from all around the city - at least the old city.

It stands 76 meters tall (about 250 feet) and was the tallest building in Portugal 

for hundreds of years. 

Maybe they had Psalm 61 in mind when they designed this beautiful strong tower.

Psalm 61:1 Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. 

2 From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. 

3 For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.

Salmos 61:1 Ouve o meu clamor, ó Deus, atenta para a 

minha oração. 

2 Desde os confins da terra eu clamo a ti, com o coração abatido

; põe-me para a rocha que é mais alta do que eu. 

3 Pois tu tens sido o meu refúgio, 

uma torre forte contra o inimigo. 

It is on the West end of the Clerics' Church - A Igreja dos Clerigos. 

Both the tower and the church are in classic Baroque style. 

Construction of the tower was from 1754-1763. It was the bell tower 

for the church which was built about 20 years before it.

After winding your way up 240 steps you'll reach an area where you can walk around 

and get a 360 degree view of the city.

Chris and I at the top!

The view of Porto from the top of the tower is incredible!

Rio Douro

Our friends waited for us at one of the cafes below.

(Just under the tree to the right of the cut out triangle.)

Around the top of the tower they have markers to tell you what buildings you are seeing in the distance and then they had this one that compares the height of the Clerics Tower to other famous tall buildings. The Clerics Tower is the first little building on the marker.

I'll share pictures of the inside of the church in another post

(It is gorgeous inside).