This is the Session Room in the Dispatch House of the Order of São Francisco in Porto. It is in the same building as the Catacombs which dates back to the mid-18th century.
Despite much of the church having been deconsecrated the board of the Venerable Order of Saint Francis still meets in this room.
It is an impressive room for a number of reasons, not least the ceiling. Dating back to 1748 it was created by the master José Martins Tinoco, according to a design by architect Nicolau Nasoni who also designed the rest of the building.
The near life-size portraits in oil on the wall are of monarchs D. José and D. Mariana Vitória. However the true masterpiece is the altarpiece created by José Teixeira Guimarães in sumptuous gold-gilt. The Brazilian rosewood table is also his work.
