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U.Porto Memory

Rectory Building of the U.Porto - Grand Floors

Council Hall

On the 3rd floor, on the west side of the Grand Hall and communicating with it through a door, is the "Council Hall", a rectangular space with windows facing north to Gomes Teixeira Square.

Here we find the Portrait Gallery with paintings of the Rectors of the U.Porto, arranged along the west wall. Some of these portraits are by renowned artists such as Agostinho Salgado, Abel Moura, Carlos Carneiro, Joaquim Lopes and Júlio Resende. The opposite wall is dominated by the marine landscape of the brazilian painter Navarro da Costa

Different kinds of meetings take place in this Hall, for example, the meetings of the Rectory Team, meetings with the heads of the faculties, meetings of selection boards and other work sessions.

Portrait Gallery

The collection of oil paintings of the Rectors of the U.Porto over the years received the name “Gallery of Portraits of Former Rectors”, almost soon after it was created.

During the meeting of the University Senate on 14 January 1931, chaired over by the Vice-Rector, Dr. Carlos Alberto de Lima, he reminded that it was important to complete the set of portraits of former Rectors of the University, adding to the existing portraits of Doctors Alfredo Mendes de Magalhães (1871-1957) and Alexandre de Sousa Pinto (1853-1912). This decision was approved unanimously by the Senate members António Augusto Mendes Correia (1888-1960), Alberto Pereira Pinto de Aguiar (1868-1948), Américo Pires de Lima (1886-1966), José Pereira Salgado (1873-1946), Antão de Almeida Garrett (1896-1961) and Luís Couto dos Santos (1872-1938). (cf. Minutes of the Porto University Senate, 1st volume, pages 10v-11v).

Two decades later, on 15 May 1950, Professor Amândio Joaquim Tavares (1900-1974), Rector of the U.Porto, conveyed to the Senate members his desire to "replace the photographs in the Rectory office" with oil paintings of the first eight Rectors. However, given that the funds available for the prompt execution of the work were not enough, he mentioned the possibility of painting 2 oil canvases during that year - those of professors Francisco Gomes Teixeira (1851-1933) and Cândido de Pinho (1853-1919) first Rectors of the U.Porto, leaving the rest of the paintings to be concluded at a later date. The cost of those two first paintings amounted to "thirteen thousand escudos" and they were painted by artists Abel de Moura and Agostinho Salgado. "Thus, within four or five years, the latest, we hope to have completed all portraits of the first eight Rectors of the University", said the Rector. (cf. Minutes of the Porto University Senate, 3rd volume, pages 11v-13v).

On 15 February of the following year, the issue of the oil paintings of the former Rectors of the U.Porto was again discussed at a Senate meeting. On this occasion, the Rector informed those present that the portraits of Professors Francisco Gomes Teixeira and Cândido de Pinho, by artists Abel de Moura and Agostinho Salgado, respectively, were finished. He added that during that year, the portraits of two more professors would be concluded - Augusto Pereira Nobre (1865-1946) and Alfredo de Magalhães – and that the artists in charge of that task, which would cost fifteen thousand escudos, would be the same as before. The cost would be charged to the Rectory.

However, the Rector long hoped that the gallery of portraits of former Rectors would soon be opened. To achieve this, he announced to the Senate members that, as already done in the University of Coimbra, he would ask the Ministry for an amount from the budget granted to the Board of Education, so that in 1951 another portrait could be painted, and to pay for the "respective five frames". (cf. Minutes of the Porto University Senate, 3rd volume, pages 16-20v).

In January 1954, when Professor Amândio Tavares celebrated his 8th anniversary as the Rector of the U.Porto, the Portrait gallery was formally opened. The press, at the time, announced this event, drawing attention to the offer made by the teaching staff of the U.Porto to the honouree Rector, consisting of the oil painting of Professor Amândio Tavares himself.

The ceremony took place at the Grand Hall and was attended by many personalities: the heads of all Faculties, the Civil Governor of the Porto district, the Mayor of the Porto City Council, and the Commander of the 1st Military Region, among others. The Portrait Gallery, brightly lit by "fluorescent tubes", as reported by the media, consisted of the portraits of Doctors Francisco Gomes Teixeira, Cândido de Pinho, Augusto Nobre (1865-1946), Alfredo de Magalhães (1871-1957), Sousa Pinto (1880-1982), Alberto Plácido (1874-1942), José Pereira Salgado, Adriano Rodrigues (1890-1978) and Amândio Tavares.