The Major Seminary of Porto is undergoing a requalification led by architect Pedro Resende Leão, who stated that the intervention will preserve the building's identity and guarantee adequate infrastructure for settling the religious community that still lives in the space. In an interview with the diocesan newspaper 'Voz Portucalense', the specialist emphasized that this is one of the last spaces in Porto with a conventual origin that still maintains a religious community within it.
The architect highlighted the contrast with other convents in the city that were converted into schools, commercial associations, or hotels, congratulating himself on the fact that the seminary maintains its initial function. The project aims to rehabilitate and reinforce structures classified as national heritage, focusing on preserving the same room distribution and equipping them with private sanitary facilities for the seminarians.
The final project will include 54 rooms, distributed among trainees, rectors, superiors, and visitors, maintaining the library, the Museum of Sacred Art, and the Church as a temple. The intervention also includes the introduction of elevators and accessibility features without distorting the original design, ensuring that all concepts proper to the seminary's identity remain intact. The plan also provides for the construction of a monastic guesthouse.
The work officially began in March 2026, with a total budget of 16 million euros and a two-year execution period, under the responsibility of construction company Ferreira.
