Is the Spiritus show worth it?

The verdict

The show earns its half hour because of where it happens. The Clérigos Church is one of the buildings Porto is known for, and its interior is round, gilded and crowded with carving, which gives projected light a great deal to work with. No knowledge of Baroque architecture or Portuguese poetry is required to enjoy it, and reactions in recent reviews range from simply beautiful to a show that bridges past and future, art and reflection. What you do need is to be comfortable sitting in the dark, looking up, while bright colour and sound change around you. If that sounds pleasant rather than tiring, book it.

What happens in the 30 minutes

The format is simple, and that is part of the appeal. There is no guide to follow, no route through rooms and no interval. The studio that made the show describes it as 3D mapping animations, laser lights and orchestral music that highlight the church's architecture, so the images follow the building's own lines: the curve of the walls, the tiers of the altar, the ribs of the dome. One visitor's advice was to look up and all around, because a lot happens at once. Arrive early enough to choose a seat rather than accept the last one free.

• You show your ticket at the church door and take a seat in the pews.
• The lights go down and the nave becomes the screen.
• Projections, lasers and orchestral music run for about 30 minutes.
• The lights come up and you leave into the Baixa.

Booking ahead or buying at the door

This is the question most people get wrong. The church has its own ticket office on site, and one recent visitor reported that the door price was lower than what they had paid online. So booking ahead is not really about skipping a long queue. What it gives you is a fixed session on the evening you want, which matters on busy nights, and your money back for any change of plan made a day or more ahead, and you can hold the booking without paying straight away. If your plans are loose and the old centre is quiet, buying on the night is a fair choice. If you have one free evening and a dinner booked after it, book.

Where to sit

You watch from the pews, and the earlier you arrive, the more choice of seat you have. Aim for the middle of the nave. From there the dome is almost straight above you and the altar sits ahead at a comfortable angle, so you can follow both without twisting. Sitting near the front puts the altar close but makes the dome harder to take in; the back rows give the widest view of the walls and side altars. One reviewer noticed people lying back on the benches to watch the ceiling, and another left with a sore neck while still calling the show worth it, which tells you where much of the action is.

Who will love it

Couples and friends who want something short and atmospheric before dinner. Families whose children can sit quietly in the dark for half an hour; one reviewer called it suitable for everyone. Anyone who has seen the tower from the street and wondered what the church looks like inside. Visitors who enjoy immersive light shows and want one in a real eighteenth-century interior rather than a converted warehouse. And people with only a short evening free: the show starts, runs for 30 minutes and ends, leaving the rest of the night for food, a walk through the Baixa or the river. It also works well on a wet evening, when outdoor plans fall through.

Who this isn't for

Anyone with epilepsy: the show uses intermittent light and sound effects and is not suitable for people with epilepsy. People who find loud music or sudden darkness distressing. Visitors with neck or back problems who cannot look upwards for long, unless they are happy to watch the walls and the altar instead. Anyone who wants a quiet look at the church as a church, since the lights are down and the building is a screen for half an hour. And anyone expecting history: there is no guide and no commentary, so if you want to learn about Nasoni and the Brotherhood of the Clérigos, read up beforehand or visit by day.

Read next: The Clérigos Church, explained

The church, briefly

The church was built for the Brotherhood of the Clérigos to designs by Nicolau Nasoni, an Italian architect and painter who spent most of his career in northern Portugal. Work began in 1732; the bell tower and the double staircase in front were finished in 1763. Wikipedia notes that it was one of the first Baroque churches in Portugal to use an elliptic floor plan. The high altar is in polychrome marble, designed by Manuel dos Santos Porto, and two Baroque organs stand above carved choir stalls on either side of it. Those are the surfaces the show plays across, so a minute spent on them by daylight, or in the guide on the building, pays off in the dark.

The poem behind it

The show takes its title and mood from a line by Álvaro de Campos, one of the heteronyms of the poet Fernando Pessoa: roughly, that in the end the best way to travel is to feel. When the show was announced in 2022, the organisers told the Portuguese press that the poem would not be analysed or dramatised; it serves as inspiration. So do not expect a reading with a plot, or a story about the church. Expect a mood, built from colour and sound, that takes its cue from Campos's appetite for sensation. Knowing the line in advance helps: it explains why the show aims at feeling rather than explaining.

Read next: Álvaro de Campos and the poem

Practical notes

Food and drink are not allowed, and neither is smoking. Photos and video are fine without flash, but keep your screen dim for the people behind you. The show is wheelchair accessible, and the organiser has an accessible entrance and a lift that you request at the door. Transport is not included; the church is a short walk from São Bento station and the Aliados metro stop. The organiser wants you there about 20 minutes ahead of the session. One visitor who came early on a quiet night was let into an earlier showing, but treat that as luck rather than a plan, and keep to the time on your ticket.

How to book

Choose a date in the booking calendar on this page and pick one of the evening sessions shown. Your confirmation gives the exact start time and the ticket you show at the church door. If your dates might change, book with the cancellation window in mind: a full refund stays available until 24 hours ahead of the session. If you also want the tower, book it separately for a daytime slot, since the view is the point of the climb; the comparison guide on this site sets out how the two tickets differ, and when doing both makes sense.

Read next: Clérigos light show or tower?