Sant'Anna Tile and Faience Factory

Sant'Anna began in 1741 as a small pottery in Rua da Senhora de Sant'Anna, in the Lapa quarter of Lisbon, close to land with clay of exceptional quality. At first it made plain, unglazed red earthenware for everyday use. After the earthquake of 1755 it supplied tiles for the rebuilding of the city, and over time it moved on to richly decorated glazed faience and to tiles and tile panels for churches, palaces and other buildings. As the city grew, the factory moved to Calçada da Boa Hora, where it works today.

The factory presents its methods as unchanged since it was founded. Every stage is done by hand: preparing and shaping the clay, rolling the slabs for the tiles, glazing, painting and firing. The painters work by hand, and some have been at the factory for decades. Production covers pattern tiles, starting from sixteenth-century designs, artistic tile panels, faience pieces, made-to-measure work and the restoration of historic tile schemes.

Guided visits introduce the history of the factory and its place in the story of Portuguese tiles and faience; in private painting workshops, participants also paint a tile of their own. Both must be booked in advance. A shop at the factory sells tiles and ceramics made on site. The factory is on Calçada da Boa Hora in the west of Lisbon, not far from Belém. Tram 15 and several city buses stop nearby, and trains on the Cascais line from Cais do Sodré also serve the area.