Azulejos – The Hallmark of Traditional Portuguese Architecture

• by Mehar
• May 17, 2021

The Azulejos are Portuguese hand-painted, tin-glazed tiles made up of ceramic material. The tile is typically a square plaque (5-6 inches), one side of which is adorned and varnished. Azulejos were essentially introduced as ornamentation over flat plastered surfaces such as floors, walls, and ceilings.

These attractive tiles are visibly ubiquitous across the cities and villages of Portugal, adorning the facades of their public as well as private buildings. From churches, monasteries, restaurants, railway stations, palaces to ordinary houses and shops, they decorate everything.

Azulejos can also be seen simply serving as street signs, nameplates, on park benches, and public murals. Furthermore, their supremacy is conspicuous in the interior decorations as well.

Besides being a decorative art form, the expressive tile works of azulejo proudly portray various scenes from Portugal’s historical records, such as their seafaring stories with the depiction of navigators and the caravel (a light sailing ship developed by the Portuguese in the 15^th century for long voyages).

A Glimpse of Its History

Although a signature architectural element of Portugal, Azulejo was not invented in this country.

The name Azulejo owes its origin to the Arabic word “az-zulayj” which translates to “a small polished stone”. The tile art was potentially born in the ancient Arab world of Africa as inspiration from Roman floor mosaics, and further introduced to the Seville region of Iberian Peninsula (present-day Spain and Portugal) in the 14^th century by the Moors during their invasion of this land. However, the art form hailing from Islamic culture was restricted to only geometric designs.

In 16^th century, Portugal’s King Manuel I visited Seville and Granada’s Alhambra Palace, where he witnessed the Islamic ceramic tiles and was highly fascinated by its beauty. He decided to have the rich tile work imbued in his palace in Sintra and imported azulejos from Seville for the same. In alignment with Islamic law, these tiles only had geometric patterns and were devoid of any human or animal figures.

In this way, the artwork of azulejo was acquired into the Portuguese culture which subsequently became a recurring feature in the religious architecture of the country, thereafter seeping onto the facades of private buildings as well.

Adaptation of Azulejos in Portuguese Style 

Even after the Moors left, Portugal continued importing of azulejo tiles from Spain during the 15^th and 16^th century and the use of the artwork prevailed with zeal. The tile industry became independent of Spain when about 1550 Flemish and Portuguese artists in the 16^th century successfully attempted production of these tiles in Lisbon, thereby marking the ignition of azulejo detonation in the country.

While the Moors confined themselves to arabesque patterns of geometrical shapes like squares, diamonds, and triangles, the Portuguese artists gradually replaced them with more ornate details and took to the narration of their cultural and religious stories through decorative means, thus immensely evolving the art form.

Blue and white was a favorite color combination. This popularity could be accredited to the highly fashionable blue and white porcelain from China during that era which was broadly termed as the Age of Discoveries (15^th-18^th centuries). The other colors that occasionally made an appearance were yellow and green.

With the expansion of the Portuguese empire, more exotic themes and colors were incorporated into the azulejo artwork across the region.

Azulejos In This Day and Age

After the earthquake of 1755 in which most of Lisbon was destroyed, the reconstruction of the capital city followed the Pombalino style, while making a switch from the Manueline architecture (a Portuguese-Gothic style).

This shift influenced the use of azulejos as well, in a way that the tiles moved from the interiors of cathedrals and buildings onto the exteriors, encasing the palaces, stairway walls, residences, gardens, restaurants, monuments.

The tradition of covering the structures with tiles continues even today.

Enlisted below are some of the famous landmarks in Portugal that are exemplary of Azulejo tile art.

São Bento Station, Porto

Chapel of the Souls, Porto

National Tile Museum, Lisbon

Fronteira Palace, Lisbon

Capela das Almas, Porto

‘Ribeira Negra’ Panel by Juilo Resende

Besides being a significant part of Portuguese heritage, the iconic art form retains its dominance in the modern fabric of the nation as well. Even though the contemporary versions of azulejos have embraced a range of new colors, the adulation for the blue and white combination remains tenacious.

Characteristics of Azulejo Tiles

Azulejos have surpassed their ornamental purpose to have utilitarian benefits as well.

The ceramic tiles serve as a great buffer for dampness and noise.

Azulejos can effectively regulate the temperatures in interior environments which allow them to keep the excess heat away.

White being the predominant color of expressions in azulejos makes them good reflectors of light.

The traditional art of these beautiful tiles bestow a unique identity to Portugal’s landscape and is deeply embedded in the history and culture of the country.

Every city, town, and village has its own landmarks that showcase the azulejos in sui generis ways. The explosion of their use has worked well for Portugal, making it the only nation that prolifically employs azulejos even in the present era.

The Azulejos are Portuguese hand-painted, tin-glazed tiles made up of ceramic material. The tile is typically a square plaque (5-6 inches), one side of which is adorned and varnished. Azulejos were essentially introduced as ornamentation over flat plastered surfaces such as floors, walls, and ceilings…