This last Saturday, we went to the National Tile Museum (Museo do Azulejo). Azulejo means "little polished stone" and comes from the Arabic word for tile. Azulejo are everywhere in Portugal. They are on the outsides of buildings, the insides of buildings, and on sidewalks sometimes. They range in pictures, designs, and colors, but I love them all! These tiles come are a lasting influence from the 700 years that Portugal was ruled by Arabs. There are a few building that have distinct influences too, but they are not as abundant as the azulejo. The Museum is in an old convent, which we did not realize until we walked into the sanctuary. This specific sanctuary has beautiful azulejo all around it, so there are several pictures in our album of this area.
The first exhibit showed the steps of making tiles, painting them, and finally putting them on a building. This exhibit was totally interesting! Each tile is made individually and hand painted. The process has not changed much in 600 years! Then, the Museum started with examples of tiles from the 1500's and went up to present day. It was amazing to see the changes in color, designs and texture throughout the years!
This Museum was one of the prettiest and most informative ones I have been in! It was such a wonderful afternoon! To see all our pictures of the tiles, click here.
Love,
Michelle and Jared
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