The ancient art of the traditional Portuguese pavement

Discover the traditional Portuguese Pavement, one of the greatest symbols of Portuguese urban architecture.

The Portuguese pavement is part of Portugal's identity. You only have to walk through some of the most beautiful Portuguese squares and streets to see how the ground beneath you is decorated with these beautiful stone carpets. They are true open-air works of art, portraying the history of Portugal.

The traditional Portuguese pavement: from Lisbon to the world

The Portuguese pavement was first used in Saint George's Castle, in Lisbon, in the first half of the 19th century. After that, it was applied to Rossio Square (Praça do Rossio), where today it is still possible to observe the so-called Mar Largo, the beautiful wave pattern of black and white stone.

This was followed by several streets and squares in Lisbon. Next to the Monument to the Discoveries (Padrão dos Descobrimentos), you can see a world map with the routes taken by Portuguese explorers inside a compass rose, and the Mar Largo design, identical to the one in Rossio Square.

Next to the Monument to the Discoveries, in Lisbon, you can find one of the many beautiful examples of the traditional Portuguese pavement, with its undulating patterns in black and white limestone.

The epic of the Portuguese discoveries is a frequent theme in Portuguese pavements, but there is much more to discover. On Lisbon's main boulevard, Avenida da Liberdade, you can see abstract and floral designs that start at Restauradores Square (Praça dos Restauradores) and go all the way to Marquês de Pombal Square (Praça Marquês de Pombal). At Luís de Camões Square (Praça Luís de Camões), you can see beautiful mermaids and ships around the pedestal of the monument to Luís Vaz de Camões, in an allusion to his work "The Lusiads”.

Restauradores Square, in Lisbon.

Most parts of Lisbon were filled with magnificent pedestrian works and, with the typical whiteness of the Portuguese pavement, the city acquired the unique brightness for which it is known.

Not long after, the art of the Portuguese pavement gradually began to spread throughout the country and also to other Portuguese-speaking countries around the world, such as Macau, Brazil, Cape Verde, Angola, Mozambique, India and Timor-Leste.

The mastery of those who carve stone

The stones, in shades of black and white, are paved to form decorative patterns and fashioned by the talented hands of master pavers. With a hammer, they carve the stone, which is mainly limestone and basalt, and create pieces of Portuguese history and art.

There were many contemporary craftsmen and artists who contributed to turning the Portuguese pavement into a symbol of Portugal.

The artist and painter, Eduardo Nery, for example, created the beautiful geometric design in Lisbon's Município Square (Praça do Município). For Expo 98, Fernanda Fragateiro created the design of a knitted mesh in white stone that stands out from the dark pavement, and called it "Penélope". The architect, painter, illustrator and cartoonist, João Abel Manta, created the drawings that embellish the city's Restauradores Square. Fernando Conduto, Maria Keil, Pedro Calapez, Pedro Proença, Porfírio Pardal Monteiro, Rigo, Xana and many other artists are the leading exponents of Portuguese paving.

More recently, Portuguese artist Alexandre Farto (known as Vhils) created a unique piece in Portuguese pavement, in partnership with paviours from Lisbon City Council, that pays tribute to late Fado diva Amália Rodrigues. The work is entitled Calçada (“Pavement”) and is located on Rua de São Tomé, in Lisbon's Alfama district.

"Calçada", the work by Portuguese artist Vhils used Portuguese pavement to create a unique piece portraying Fado singer Amália Rodrigues. © Bruno Lopes

Monument to the Pavers

As a tribute to all the craftsmen who dedicated their working life to the Portuguese pavement, the artist Sérgio Stichini created the Monument to the Pavers. The set of sculptures can be found in Restauradores Square, next to the Avenida Palace Hotel, in Lisbon, and comprises two bronze statues representing a paver cutting stone with an assistant.

The work is framed by a panel of Portuguese pavement, which depicts the São Vicente ferry, a symbol of Lisbon, and was made with over 10,500 stones by the city pavers.