Rua do Bispo
Rua do Bispo is one of the streets with exclusive pedestrian access and runs parallel to Rua da Queimada de Cima, facing Rua João Tavira on the west side and Rua dos Ferreiros on the east side, connecting to Praça do Município by a small staircase.
Its name came to be since here was the residence of Bishop D. Frei João does Nascimento, who had it built in 1750. It is where today we can find, right at the beginning of the street, the Museum of Sacred Art. It has two wonderful collections, one of Flemish Art and the other of Portuguese Art.
Attached to the old Paço Episcopal you can find the Chapel of São Luís de Tolosa, dated 1600, with a collection of pieces from the regional workshops of the 17th and 18th centuries.
Considered as a historical nucleus, we find right next to the Chapel, on the southern façade of the street, the Palácio dos Ornelas, an important urban residential manor house, with a mannerist portal and baroque civil architecture. The construction of this old manor house was due to Aires de Ornelas de Vasconcelos and its current operation is directed towards commerce and services.
