In this street, located in the Ribeira district is a very typical, narrow downhill street, since medieval times, this street was of vital importance as it was one of the main axes of movement towards the door. Today, the truth is that the houses are perhaps a bit abandoned, which gives it a special charm although currently many houses are being restored.

 

The name of this medieval street derives from the fact that it is one of the places chosen by the Porto merchants to settle their houses and establishments.

 

The Rua dos Mercadores was, along with the streets of Bainharia and Escura, one of the vital axes of medieval Porto, linking the mercantile center located in Ribeira to the episcopal borough and ensuring communication with the main routes that leave Porto towards the Between Douro and Minho and Trás-os-Montes.

Traversing the area outside the Primitive Wall, from the outskirts of Porta de SantAna to Ribeira Square, next to the Douro River, Rua dos Mercadores has been referred to since 1309, when it is referred to as "Rua per hu vam a Ribeira". . It is, again, referred to in a letter of D. Fernando dated December 16, 1374, by which the monarch ordered the nobles and prelates of the kingdom not to seek retirement (ie, lodging), neither in Merchants Street nor in monasteries. and city inns. The express reference to Rua dos Mercadores is a clear sign of the fact that it is one of the richest streets in the city where the most inviting houses were concentrated. Identical reference is made by D. John I by letter of December 22, 1385.

Being a street of merchants and merchants, it was an area of manicured buildings, two-, three-, and four-story stone houses, following the tower-house scheme. The analysis of the medieval documentation reveals that, among the several tower houses of Merchants Street, one was built just down the street in the southern part. There are reports of other tower houses, namely two that stood in front of Santa Clara Hospital, next to the Romanesque Wall.

Despite being one of the rich areas of the city, with a high percentage of good quality buildings, Rua dos Mercadores soon faced problems with the conservation of its houses. On several occasions, the Porto City Council was obliged to intervene for the good conservation of the buildings by its owners, often with court decisions, as evidenced by abundant documentation, namely dated 1393, 1432, 1433, 1438, 1443, 1466 and 1467.

On this street were the Santa Clara Hospital-Hostel, an institution possibly prior to the 13th century. It would surely be one of the most interesting buildings on this street. The hospital and hostel was at the entrance to Merchants Street on the north side, near the corner with the streets of Bainharia and São Crispim, opposite the Romanesque Wall. The Santa Clara Hospital and Hostel were annexed by D. Manuel I to the Santa Casa da Misericórdia of Porto.

 



 

José de Sao Joao Novo described Rua dos Mercadores as follows: "Rua dos Mercadores is dark, twisting and crammed with old or restored buildings, leaning on Rua de S. João. buildings of the old street dominated by extensive backyards and vegetable gardens, which then expropriate themselves for opening that artery that, in a regular line, leads from Mouzinho Street to Ribeira Square

Throughout the nineteenth century, the ruinous state reached by some of its buildings, once a source of pride for its inhabitants, is mirrored in diverse city council documentation. In 1867, Rua dos Mercadores had wine warehouses at 112 and 140. In 1926 the Tripeiro registered the existence, at nº 62 of Rua dos Mercadores, of a tinsmiths workshop of ancestral traditions, transcribing the document 1827 which recognized the activity

 

Behind Merchant Street, running at the base of  the Primitive Wall , was the Oven Lane, documented since  1309 . This small street, which welcomed the  gafaria  of Porto, was also known as Viela de São Lourenço. The last reference we found about this alley dates back to  1802 , when a survey is carried out that concludes its lack of usefulness, so its definitive entrapment is decided.

toresco Street Points of Interest 

House no. 125 to 127: rare stone house with some characteristic 16th century solutions. 
House no. 182 to 184: remarkable house of the 16th century, with typical cutout doors of that century and with gargoyle of beautiful scenic effect near the eaves of the roof. As was typical at the time, only the ground floor of this house is in stone, and the rest in mud. The balconies, made of wood, mimic the architectural solution used in their stone counterparts, with small volutes supporting the narrow floor (a solution also found in house 178-180). 
Wrought iron Christ (possibly nineteenth century) 
Alley , no. 89. Rainwater tube with almond pipe above, at no. 131.

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