The Casa do Infante (Prince's House), also known as the Alfândega Velha (Old Customs House) is a historical house in the city of Oporto, in Portugal

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

. The house was originally built in the 14th century as customs

Customs

Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting and safeguarding customs duties and for controlling the flow of goods including animals, transports, personal effects and hazardous items in and out of a country...

 and mint

Mint (coin)

A mint is an industrial facility which manufactures coins for currency.The history of mints correlates closely with the history of coins. One difference is that the history of the mint is usually closely tied to the political situation of an era...

, although its present condition derives mostly from a remodelling carried out in the 17th century.

Its name derives from the tradition that it was in this house that Prince Henry the Navigator was born in 1394. The Casa do Infante is located in the historical centre of Oporto, designated World Heritage Site

World Heritage Site

A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...

 by UNESCO

UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...

History

The mediaeval customs house of the city of Oporto started being built around 1354 under King Afonso IV

Afonso IV of Portugal

Afonso IV , called the Brave , was the seventh king of Portugal and the Algarve from 1325 until his death. He was the only legitimate son of King Denis of Portugal by his wife Elizabeth of Aragon.-Biography:...

 in the context of disputes between the king and the Bishop of Oporto. The king's intention was to charge taxes for goods carried by ships navigating the Douro river, thereby reducing the power of the bishop. The new Royal Customs House was built near the river (Ribeira) and included a mint

Mint (coin)

A mint is an industrial facility which manufactures coins for currency.The history of mints correlates closely with the history of coins. One difference is that the history of the mint is usually closely tied to the political situation of an era...

, storage house and living quarters for the employees. Archaeological excavations revealed that the building was large and had two high towers linked by a courtyard. Starting in the 15th century, the customs house has undergone several expansions and remodellings that have greatly altered its original structure.

The most important remodelling occurred in 1677 under King Peter II, when the customs house was virtually rebuilt. The inner courtyard was kept, but the towers were greatly reduced in height, while the front building, facing the street, gained two extra storeys, with a large staircase leading to the living quarters in the second floor. The front building incorporated the functions of the towers. The storage houses were greatly enlarged. This 17th-century remodelling is celebrated on a commemorative plate in the courtyard dated from 1677.

In the second half of the 19th century a new customs house was built by the river in the Miragaia neighbourhood, and the old customs house ceased its activities. The façade was again modified between the 19th and the 20th centuries, with the addition of a new storey. A plate commemorating Prince Henry's 500th birth anniversary was inaugurated on the façade in 1894. In the mid-20th century the house was restored by the state.

In the 1990s the whole complex was the subject of archaeological surveys that greatly helped understand the evolution of the building. Besides the mediaeval findings, the archaeologists found the vestiges of a large Roman

Roman Empire

The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....

 building, including remains of mosaic

Mosaic

Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...

 pavement that can now the seen inside. The Casa do Infante now houses an exhibition about the history of Oporto (including a scale model of the city in the Middle Ages) as well as the Municipal Archive.

Prince Henry

It is known by chronicler Fernão Lopes

Fernão Lopes

Fernão Lopes was a Portuguese chronicler appointed by King Edward of Portugal. Fernão Lopes wrote the history of Portugal, but only a part of his work remained....

 that Prince Henry was born to King John I

John I of Portugal

John I KG , called the Good or of Happy Memory, more rarely and outside Portugal the Bastard, was the tenth King of Portugal and the Algarve and the first to use the title Lord of Ceuta...

 and Queen Philippa

Philippa of Lancaster

Philippa of Lancaster, LG was a Queen consort of Portugal. Born into the royal family of England, her marriage with King John I secured the Anglo-Portuguese Alliance and produced several famous children who became known as the "Illustrious Generation" in Portugal...

 in Oporto on March 4, 1394. Henry would later enter history as Henry the Navigator, sponsor of the Portuguese navigations during the Age of Discovery

Age of Discovery

The Age of Discovery, also known as the Age of Exploration and the Great Navigations , was a period in history starting in the early 15th century and continuing into the early 17th century during which Europeans engaged in intensive exploration of the world, establishing direct contacts with...

. Since the customs house was the only royal building in the city and that it had living quarters for the royal employees, it is likely that the court occupied the building and that Prince Henry was born there, something that would confirm a long held oral tradition .

In 1894, during the celebrations of the 500th anniversary of the birth of Prince Henry, a Neo-Manueline

Neo-Manueline

Neo-Manueline was a revival architecture and decorative arts style developed in Portugal between the middle of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century...

commemorative plate was installed at the entrance of the building. Since then, Casa do Infante has been the official name of the building.