The art of tiles
With Arab origins, the use of tile has undergone various influences and was associated with many historical periods. The Baroque and Neoclassical periods are associated with a strong production of tiles. In addition to the botanical decorations, the main themes portrayed, referred to the place where they were deployed. In churches usually appeared hagiographic motives, where it was possible to observe authentic narratives of the lives of patron saints. During the seventeenth century denoted it is still a use associated with the so-called type carpet that matched the repeated motifs in blue and yellow, which were very trendy, especially for the temples coating with no conditions to hire renowned artists.
In Braga see the case of the tiles of the body of the Savior's Church or the tiles that lined the demolished church of Remedios, which can be seen in the chapel of São João da Ponte. As host of the most important archdiocese of Portugal, Braga had the economic capacity to attract the best tile artists. If it is true that many of the tiles were “imported "from Lisbon, it is also true that many artists have come to Braga to give in to the whims of the archbishops and confraternities. Particular emphasis had the Prelature of D. Rodrigo de Moura Telles (1704-1728), by the declared commitment to hiring well-known tile artists.
Brochure of the Culture Division - The Gold Discovery