The historical nucleus of Sé

The first buildings on the former square Campo do Duque were the Town Hall houses including the Notary’s Palace and the Assembly Rooms. This construction was completed in 1491 and two years later the construction of the ‘big church’, consecrated ‘Sé’ in 1514, started.

Now, there were no doubts left about Dom Manuel’s intention of building a new city. It was also in this area, where during the 16^th century the major governmental organs were built. Soon the entire area was occupied with the Fortress, the Bishop’s Palace, the Seminary and the Jesuit College.
It was also here, where the leading local and foreign traders settled with their business.