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The country of tiles

If you’ve ever travelled to Portugal, you can’t help but have noticed the beautiful tiles on many buildings in every town; city and village. The ‘azulejos’, as they’re called, are embedded in Portugal’s history and culture, and we thought we’d give you a bit of a Castaway history lesson!

Azulejos date as far back as the 14th century, when the Moors invaded Spain and Portugal. A lot of people assume that the word derives from azul, the Portuguese word for ´blue´, but the word is actually Arabic in origin and comes from ‘al-zulayj’, and it roughly translates as ‘polished stone’. In 1498, King Manuel paid a visit to Seville and was impressed by the shiny tiles around the city. He decided to bring the art to Portugal and used it to decorate the walls of his castle, the National Palace in Sintra.

Originally the tiles were white and blue. Many believe this stemmed from Europe’s trading relationship with Asia, with Europeans fascinated with the elegance of Chinese porcelain. In the 17th century, the Dutch began making tiles in the same blue and white tones as the porcelain and the Portuguese were so impressed by them that massive imports were ordered from the Netherlands to decorate buildings across Portugal.

The Portuguese were worried about the huge amount of imports from abroad, and that gave rise to a remarkable movement in the history of the tiles, the so-called ‘cycle of masters’. Well-known painters were hired to design works in the format of the Dutch tiles, and began to make them on a huge scale. At that time, tile painters gained the status of artists, by creating original pieces, and signing their work.

Things have moved on from the original blue and white tiles, and today, they can be found in all sorts of colours and designs. Many of Lisbon’s metro stations are covered in pattered tiles, and today it’s common to see them decorating churches, restaurants, and even people’s homes.

Incredibly the oldest tile factory in Portugal is still operating! Fábrica Sant’Anna has been in existence since 1741, and even withstood the great earthquake in Portugal in 1755. It still uses the original hand crafted techniques, and today more than 90% of it’s production is sent abroad! When you’re next in Portugal, make sure you take time to see what beautiful tile designs you can spot when you're wandering around!

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