Casa do Infante (EN) - Customs House
Today Casa do Infante is a complex of buildings that occupies an extensive area of Oporto's riverfront. It's history goes back to 1325, when King Afonso IV ordered the construction of a royal warehouse against the will of the Bishop, then lord of the town. Thus the Customs House of Oporto was created, to which all merchandise arriving at the port was sent, so that the respective duty could be levied. Casa do Infante - Customs House The medieval Customs House The first building consisted of two high towers and a central courtyard, whose original location can still be identified. The higher floors of the North Tower served as residence. Commercial development was reflected in the way the Customs House was progressively turned into a monument. As early as the 15th century, King D. João I ordered the construction of a forward section, whose portico was capped with a lintel bearing an inscription and a niche where a statue of the Virgin Protector of Customs Hous...