The Arca d'água water source

In this edition of Sebentas d’Obra, we return once again to the theme of water, seeking to understand how it flows unseen beneath the city and nourishes our homes. Every day, this invisible network contributes to improving our health and quality of life, ensuring the well-being of Porto’s inhabitants.

In the seventeenth edition of Sebentas d’Obra, we visit Arca d’Água, a true “treasure chest” that was “discovered” in Paranhos in 1597 to distribute water throughout the city, at a time when Porto was expanding beyond its medieval walls. From the Jardim da Arca d’Água, a long underground tunnel was built reaching Praça Gomes Teixeira, ensuring the supply to this growing urban area.

Over time, this route came to be marked by a series of fountains and public spouts that brought the tunnel water to the surface, providing access to the people. Each of these structures reflected the technological and social progress of its era. Thus, the course of the tunnel can be traced across the city through these fountains, revealing the evolution of living conditions and the continuous advances in engineering and design.

In this edition, Architect Mário Mesquita, professor at the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Porto and scientific coordinator of the Heritage Master Plan of Águas do Porto, helps us uncover the history of this path carved by water. Engineer Francisco Taveira Pinto, professor at the Faculty of Engineering of the same university and specialist in Hydraulics, explains how this journey began and how cities continue to grow alongside water.