The place
The Ordem da Trindade and its square
What the Ordem da Trindade is, how the church on Praça da Trindade came to stand there, and where the Noble Hall fits beside Avenida dos Aliados.
Book the Noble Hall concert ↗Quick answer
The Ordem da Trindade is a charitable order that describes itself as founded on 14 May 1755 by papal decree. Its church stands on Praça da Trindade, behind Porto City Hall, and opened to worshippers in 1841. The Noble Hall concert takes place on the order's premises, not in the church. Avenida dos Aliados, which opened in 1917, ends at the square where City Hall stands, a short step from the hall.
The order
The Ordem da Trindade's own website says the order was founded on 14 May 1755 by papal decree, with charitable and social aims. It also says the order descends from the Celestial Ordem Terceira da Santíssima Trindade, which it dates to 1198, and today describes itself as a private social solidarity institution. For a visitor, the useful point is simple: the Noble Hall is the hall of a long-lived order with a church, a museum collection and a hospital, and the concert takes place in it.
The church
The order's site describes the church as neoclassical, a Latin-cross plan whose nave is the largest in Porto. A classical front rises above a very wide two-tier staircase, with a central tower holding the bells and a clock. Inside, the nave walls hold chapels with neoclassical altarpieces. The site says the church opened to worshippers in 1841 without its main chapel, and it records the church as a Monument of Public Interest. Portuguese Wikipedia adds that the main chapel has a large painting of the Baptism of Christ by José de Brito.
Who built it
Portuguese Wikipedia says the church was built over the course of the nineteenth century and credits Carlos Amarante with its design, noting that he is buried in the church. Its infobox names a different architect, so accounts differ on the detail. The plain facts are that building ran through the century, that worship began in 1841 and that the order also runs the Hospital da Trindade, whose building its history page dates to the period from 1803 to 1892.
The square
Praça da Trindade is the square on which the church stands. Portuguese Wikipedia puts the church behind Porto City Hall, and the concert's meeting point is Praça da Trindade 182. Trindade metro station lies near City Hall, according to Wikipedia, so the square and the metro share a name and a neighbourhood. The station replaced the former Porto-Trindade railway station, which closed in 2001, a point worth knowing so that you do not mix up the metro stop with a railway station.
The avenue below it
Portuguese Wikipedia says Avenida dos Aliados runs from Praça da Liberdade to the square where City Hall stands. Construction began on 1 February 1916 and the avenue opened in 1917, first under the name Avenida das Nações Aliadas, in honour of the Allied countries of the First World War. Most of its buildings are granite, and many carry lanterns, domes or small spires. Aliados metro station sits roughly halfway along the avenue, according to the same article.
How the hall fits
The concert ticket is for the Noble Hall, the Salão Nobre, with Praça da Trindade 182 as the meeting point. The order runs its own visits of the church, with audio guides, as a separate service, and those are not what this site covers. If you also want to see the church, treat that as a second plan, and read the order's own pages for its current circuits and hours.
A short walk before the music
Because the hour is short and starts at a set time shown in your confirmation, arrive early enough to find the right door, and do not go to São Bento station. The show spent two years at the station before it moved to the Noble Hall. Standing in the square first also lets you look at the church front, the clock tower and the wide staircase that the order's site describes, which sets the scene for what is inside.
Who this isn't for
Wheelchair users cannot book the Noble Hall ticket. It is also not a church visit, a hospital tour or a museum ticket: it is a one-hour fado concert. Anyone looking for the church's interior, its altarpieces or its collection should read the order's own pages, because the concert does not include them. And anyone hoping for a meal should plan one separately, since no lunch or dinner comes with the ticket.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Ordem da Trindade?
A charitable order that its website says was founded on 14 May 1755 by papal decree. It has a church, a museum collection and a hospital.
Is the Noble Hall inside the church?
The ticket is for the Noble Hall of the Ordem da Trindade, not for the church. The order runs separate visits of the church.
When did the Trindade church open?
The order's website says it opened to worshippers in 1841, without its main chapel.
Where does Avenida dos Aliados run?
It runs from Praça da Liberdade to the square where City Hall stands, according to Portuguese Wikipedia. This guide gives no walking times.
Which metro station is closest?
Trindade station lies near City Hall, and Aliados station sits roughly halfway along the avenue.
Sources