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When someone mentions Portugal, a few things come to mind: Port wine, Lisbon, seafood, surfing, and …
Azulejos! Even visitors who aren’t familiar with the term may see images of these glazed, ceramic tiles in Tell the stories of La
their mind’s eye. Deeply embedded in Portugal’s history and culture, there are countless wonderful
examples of these beautiful tiles.
Lomita through tiles
Earlier records
Azulejos date as far back as the 13th century, when the Moors invaded the land that now belongs to Spain Custom tiles: telling
and Portugal, but they secured their foothold in Portuguese culture between the 16th and 17th centuries.
The word Azulejos stems from Arabic roots, meaning ‘small polished stone’. Originally, they were fairly
simple structures cut into geometric shapes in neutral tones. the story of a wedding
It wasn’t until Portugal’s King Manuel I visited Seville and brought the idea back, that Portugal truly adopted couple
this artwork into its culture. The tiles were used to cover up the large areas of blank wall that were common
inside buildings during the Gothic period.

Antique Azulejos were decorated in a simple color palate, dominated by
blues and whites. It is believed that these colors were influenced by the
Age of Discoveries (15th – 18th centuries) and considered fashionable at
the time. The other colors that appeared were yellow (sometimes looking
gold) and green.

After their introduction by King Manuel I, simple geometric shapes were
replaced by more ornate decoration. It was (and still is) typical for the
Portuguese to tell stories about their history, religion, and culture through
this decorative means; they soon became pieces of public artwork.

While visiting a church or cathedral in Portugal, visitors should pay as much
attention to the alters as the interior and exterior walls. Many are
decorated in Azulejos instead of fabric, depicting a style that started during
the 16th century. Birds and leaves were frequently symbols used as
decoration, possibly inspired by Asian fabrics.

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