FIVE CENTURIES IN PORTO'S HISTORY
A palace that has evolved with the city
A PALACE WITH THE SOUL OF PORTO
In the heart of Porto’s Historic Centre, between Rua de Belomonte and Rua do Comércio do Porto and just a few minutes from the Douro, stands a group of four historic buildings whose heart is the former Palácio de Belomonte, also known as Casa dos Pacheco Pereira.
Its documented origins date back to the late 15th and early 16th centuries, when Mestre João da Paz, physician and surgeon to Kings D. João II and D. Manuel I, commissioned his residence on this site. That first house marks the beginning of a story that has accompanied Porto for more than five centuries.
The legacy of the Pacheco Pereira family
In the 18th century, Manuel Pacheco, the first judge of the Alfândega do Porto (Porto’s Customs House), drove the great transformation of the old residence. That intervention gave rise, to a large extent, to the Baroque-character palace that survives today and that would remain linked for generations to the Pacheco Pereira name.
Portrait of the siblings João, Mariana and José Pacheco Pereira.
Roquemont, A. (1835-1840)
A surname closely associated with Portuguese history, one that also evokes Duarte Pacheco Pereira, navigator, soldier and cosmographer, one of the great figures of the Age of Discovery. A history linked to a Portugal that looked out towards the Atlantic and made knowledge, navigation and exchange with other lands an essential part of its identity.
Known as Casa dos Pacheco Pereira or Palácio de Belomonte, the building still bears the traces of that era and of the transformations that followed.
A palace that moves to Porto's rhythm
After remaining in the hands of the Pacheco Pereira family for generations, in 1866 the palace became the headquarters of Banco Aliança.
1888 marked the beginning of one of the most singular chapters in its history: its connection with the Companhia de Caminhos de Ferro Através de África (the Trans-African Railway Company). This railway period even left its mark on the main façade, where the Pacheco Pereira coat of arms was replaced with the company’s crest, topped by a royal crown, and some of its openings were converted into portals.
In time, Belomonte would reinvent itself once again, becoming a space dedicated to creativity and education as part of the Escola Superior Artística do Porto (ESAP).
An architecture that tells its own story
Inside, stone, wood, iron and light reveal the passage of time. The grand granite staircase draws the eye up towards a richly ornamented elliptical skylight; coffered ceilings and historic stuccowork sit alongside stone walls and wrought-iron balconies. The symmetrical main façade, articulated with pilasters, and the wide rear veranda with granite details complete the preserved architectural heritage.
More than decorative features, they are fragments of the palace’s many different lives.
The story continues
More than five hundred years after João da Paz’s first houses, the palace begins a new chapter.
The restoration project revives this historic complex with deep respect for its heritage, bringing original features together with contemporary architecture and design. The historic spaces now engage in dialogue with fine materials, natural textures and new interventions designed for rest and hospitality.
Today, CoolRooms Palacio Duarte opens its doors once again to welcome a new generation of travellers. A place from which to discover Porto while inhabiting a small part of its history.