The history of the Clérigos architectural ensemble is related to the Brotherhood of Clérigos, an association of the faithful that was founded in the early 18th century with the aim of providing assistance to the clergy.

At a time when in Portugal the clergy was very numerous, many of its members faced great difficulties throughout their lives, so the concentration of all assistance in a single institution represented a remarkable volume of services and a dynamic that quickly made the insufficiency clear of the initial facilities, located in a borrowed house: the Igreja da Misericórdia.

The urgent need for a space of its own made it possible to overcome the stigmas resulting from the peculiar neighborhood and, in 1731, when Dean Jerónimo de Távora and Noronha was president, a project for the new church was requested to Nicolau Nasoni, Italian artist from Siena, who worked at the Sé works and at Quinta dos Cónegos in Maia.

The work will start with the Church 1732-1749, with great difficulties due to the slope of the land, and problems with the weight of the façade on the foundations. The Casa da Irmandade and the Torre were built between 1750-1763, on an acquired land called "Adro dos Justiçados ou Enforcados".

With an elliptical centered plant, covered by a dome, it is an example of the granite baroque, already with Rococo influences. The Altar-mor 1767-1780 is made of marble stone of various colors, with the risk of Manuel dos Santos Porto.

The Tower of Clérigos rises 75 meters high, it was the tallest building in the city. It has a carillon of 49 bells acquired in 1995. In addition to serving as a bell tower, this building had other uses over the years: it served to mark the time (through a daily shot of dry powder that marked noon); he was a commercial telegraph; it was used as a guideline for vessels sailing on the Douro River; it served to raise a flag when the "packet" arrived so that the traders would know of its approach; it was a strategic point for military and political combat; and today it is undoubtedly one of the most important tourist attractions in the city of Porto