Portuguese tiles are small pieces of art spread through the country’s buildings, tourist stores and museums. Everyone is in love with it, some even tattoo the tiles’ common patterns! They are a symbol of Portugal that reflects his history through centuries.
About the Portuguese Tiles
Portuguese tiles are usually thin and square, come in many sizes and have different pattern designs. They are made of ceramic and are painted and glazed to withstand weather and wear.
The main advantage of these tiles (besides their aesthetics) is the material that offers longevity and protects the building, while controlling the temperature in homes.
History
“Azulejos” is the Portuguese word for tiles. They are a huge part of Portuguese history, culture and traditions. “Azulejo” comes from the Arabic language, meaning “small polished stone”. In the beginning, these tiles were cut into geometric shapes and painted with neutral tones.
The tiles are originally from Egypt and were first brought to Portugal by the Arabs, in the 13th century. This was an invasion that highly contributed to shaping Portugal’s culture. Despite that, the tiles were first introduced to Portugal in 1498 by King. D. Manuel I, who imported them from Seville after he visited Spain.
The story goes that he was so enchanted by these tiles’ brightness, that he had to bring some back to Portugal to decorate his palace walls – the National Palace of Sintra.
Since then, these tiles got popular, and monuments started being built with them. They always tried to relate it to the building’s history – churches have saints and biblical images.
Use of Portuguese tiles
At the time, tiles were bought only by wealthy people. They started using them inside the buildings, and not outside as much. Over time, the tendency was to use them in every building’s construction – that’s why you can’t miss them wherever you are in Portugal.
Even though they come in all shapes and patterns, most of the tiles combine mainly white and blue colours. These predominant colours were considered fashionable at the time of the Age of Discoveries (from the 15th to the 18th centuries). Blue was also a colour that symbolized power and wealth, the perfect colour for the important monuments where tiles were mostly used in.
How the tiles are made
In the 18th century was build the first tiles’ factory in Lisbon. Nowadays, factories still use the same process to preserve the tradition and the method associated with it. There is also a tradition of their production in former Portuguese and Spanish colonies in North America, South America, Goa (India), Lusophone Africa, East Timor, Macau (China), and the Philippines.
The tiles are baked in an oven and its outer part is glazed to be painted by the artists. This glazing makes them waterproof, to resist any environmental conditions.
If you wish to have a look at some of the most precious Portuguese tiles and dive deeper into their history and culture, we highly suggest you visit the National Tile Museum in Lisbon. In this museum, you’ll also find a precious tile panel found on one of our remarkable accommodations, the Historic House of Santo André
