Love of Perdition
Portuguese history, culture and tradition.
Camilo Castelo Branco’s most famous novel. The forbidden love between two young people and two warring families. Often using the storms of his life as inspiration, the author wrote this work when he was incarcerated for the crime of adultery.
A Romantic Novel
The name of this square alludes to the title of the famous novel by Camilo Castelo Branco, perhaps the most important of his work and which was published in 1862. This work portrays the forbidden love between two young people, written in the traditional romantic formula, and is one of the most important of the Romanticism phase in Portugal. It’s a story about a hero and a heroine, a conflict and a redemption with a tragic fate.
Inspired by his own life
Camilo Castelo Branco was born in Lisbon on March 16th, 1825, and died on June 1st of 1890 in Vila Nova de Famalicão, but it was in Porto that he gained his recognition. He was a writer, novelist, chronicler, critic, playwright, historian, poet and translator, with a remarkable written work that proliferated, often using the storms of his life as inspiration.
His forbidden love
The statue in this square, “Lovers of Camilo” by Francisco Simões, represents his forbidden love with Ana Plácido, married to the businessman Manuel Pinheiro Alves, whom he seduced and kidnapped. They both ended up imprisoned in the jail of the city, the building in front of the square, and were later absolve of the crime of adultery, at which point they began to live together.
It was while he was imprisoned here that he wrote the work “Love of Perdition”, in 1861, where it is now the Portuguese Photography Centre, the former Prison. This is the story about his uncle Simão Botelho, imprisoned and sentenced to exile for murdering a rival in a love relationship.
Experiences
Here in Clérigos you will find some of the most interesting monuments in the city of Porto and the “Tour 3 – Downtown, Clérigos, Vitória and Virtudes” takes you to discover these iconic places and the stories that mark liberalism in Portugal. Discover the city of Porto and learn about its history and culture with the Walkinporto app.
Clérigos is also an area where you can find some of the most sought-after accommodation in the city. My accommodation suggestions are very centrally located so that you can feel and live the soul of the city up close and get to know its historic neighborhoods. Get to know my accommodation recommendation.
