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All Portugal Porto Carmo and Carmelitas Churches

Carmo and Carmelitas Churches

A hidden three-foot-wide house separates these two regal churches.

Porto, Portugal

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sharris
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It’s easy to miss the house wedged between these churches.   AntĂłnio Amen
One of Porto’s many treasures   terrazu / Atlas Obscura User
One of Porto’s many treasures   terrazu / Atlas Obscura User
Surprise treasure amidst trollies   bettysjc / Atlas Obscura User
Side view of Igreja do Carmo   portiawanders / Atlas Obscura User
One of Porto’s many treasures   terrazu / Atlas Obscura User
Igreja dos Carmelitas Descalços and Igreja do Carmo   Jaszmina Szendrey / Atlas Obscura User
The thin house separates the two churches.   sharris / Atlas Obscura User
The two churches.   baldeaglebluff
“Carmelitas” (left) and “Carmo” (right) churches in Porto, Portugal.   Manuel de Sousa
One of Porto’s many treasures   terrazu / Atlas Obscura User
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About

What looks like one enormous church is actually two separate buildings. A hidden three-foot-wide house separates the two structures. The house is so thin, it's easy to mistake it for a wall. 

Igreja dos Carmelitas Descalços was built in the 17th century for Carmelite nuns, and Igreja do Carmo was built in the 18th century for Carmelite monks. Both churches are extravagant sights to behold, making it easy to completely miss the small, humble house standing between them.

There are a number of local stories about why these churches are side by side. The most common tale says it's because the archbishops couldn't get along, so one built a church next door to the other in the ultimate architectural spite move. But in reality, the churches don’t actually touch each other, thanks to the house wedged between them.

Local guides give two different reasons for the skinny house’s existence. Some chalk it up to an old law stipulating that two churches couldn’t share a wall. Others say the strange home was erected to keep the nuns and monks from getting too cozy with one another.

What’s most amazing is that people actually lived within the unbelievably narrow abode. It was even inhabited up until the 1980s. Now, visitors can buy a ticket to peek inside this most unusual sliver of a building.

Related Tags

Houses Churches Architectural Oddities Architecture Homes Sacred Spaces

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Admission to the churches are free. To see the house, there is a small entry fee.

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Added By

sharris

Edited By

terrazu, Jaszmina Szendrey, Kerry Wolfe, bettysjc...

  • terrazu
  • Jaszmina Szendrey
  • Kerry Wolfe
  • bettysjc
  • portiawanders

Published

June 12, 2018

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Sources
  • https://portugalupclose.wordpress.com/category/porto/portos-narrowest-house/
  • http://www.porto-tourism.com/porto-attractions/religious-edifices-in-porto/carmo-church-and-the-carmelite-church.html
  • http://www.localporto.com/carmo-camelitas-church/
  • https://www.portugalvisitor.com/porto-churches/carmo-carmelitas
Carmo and Carmelitas Churches
10 Praça de Gomes Teixeira
Porto
Portugal
41.147319, -8.616486
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Explore the Destination Guide

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Museum of the Central Hospital of Porto

Porto, Portugal

miles away

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Porto, Portugal

miles away

Banco de Materiais (Bank of Materials)

Porto, Portugal

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Porto

Porto

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Places 16
Stories 1

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