The Iron Gates

The entrance to the Paço das Escolas is through Porta Férrea, so called because of its iron gates. It takes the place of the old Alcazaba doorway - the Arab name for the fortification that was built here around the 10th century. Later, it continued to serve as access to the royal palace.

A construction dating back to the 17th century, it is a triumphal arch symbolising the rite of passage that students undergo. As they pass through the gates, their purification process begins. Reminiscent of a church doorway, the construction displays two faces of great iconographic wealth. In the mirror, there are sculptures of the two kings who marked the history of the institution: in the outer arch, Denis of Portugal, who founded the university in Portugal, and inside, King John III, who established it in Coimbra. It also shows the four faculties of the time, Laws and Medicine on the outside and Theology and Canons on the inside, symbolised by female figures.

The doorway culminates in the image of the University that, symbolising Wisdom, takes on a sacred dimension. Its representation can still be seen, beneath our feet, at the doorway, represented in Portuguese-style cobblestone pavement.

Even today, the relevance that the Porta Férrea had in the urban design of the 20th century is still evident, defining the axis of Rua Larga in the access to the University.