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S. Bento Expedition
Praça de Almeida Garrett, 4000-069 Porto, Portugal
S. Bento Expedition
Praça de Almeida Garrett, 4000-069 Porto, Portugal
Content
Your mission begins at one of Porto’s most iconic places: São Bento Railway Station.
Before D. Pedro’s heart can reach its final destination, it must first travel through a place where the walls themselves tell stories of Portugal.
Your team must enter São Bento Station, explore its famous tile panels and successfully complete 3 challenges.
Look carefully — the answers are all around you!
By observing historical scenes, solving a digital puzzle and collecting evidence, you will take the first step towards completing D. Pedro’s final mission.
Complete all three challenges, and you will unlock the S. Bento Explorer Badge.
Discover São Bento
Located in the heart of Porto, next to Avenida dos Aliados, São Bento Railway Station is much more than a place where trains arrive and depart.
Its entrance hall is covered with magnificent "azulejo" panels created by Portuguese artist Jorge Colaço, depicting important moments in Portuguese history as well as scenes of traditional life.
These tiles transformed the station into one of Porto’s best-known cultural landmarks and made it a perfect starting point for your journey.
But remember: you are not here just to admire them: You are here to investigate.
Every detail may help you get one step closer to discovering where D. Pedro’s heart belongs.
Challenge 1 — Count the History
Thousands of blue and white tiles cover the walls of São Bento Station, creating some of its most famous historical scenes.
But just how many are there?
Explore the station and find the answer to the following question: Approximately how many tiles can be found in the main hall of São Bento Railway Station?
Record your answer — you will need it as evidence to complete the activity.
Challenge 2 — A Royal Wedding
Look carefully at the historical panels.
One of them represents the marriage of King D. João I of Portugal and Philippa of Lancaster, celebrated in Porto in 1387.
Their marriage helped reinforce the historic alliance between Portugal and England, one of the oldest diplomatic alliances in the world.
Your challenge is to: Find the tile panel representing the marriage of D. João I and Philippa of Lancaster and take a photograph of it.
Keep the photograph — it will be part of your mission evidence.
Challenge 3 — A Question of Honour
There is another important historical scene hidden among the panels.
According to a famous medieval account, Egas Moniz, tutor of Afonso Henriques, presented himself and his family before King Alfonso VII of León and Castile after Afonso Henriques failed to honour a pledge.
The story became a powerful symbol of **honour, loyalty and responsibility**.
Your challenge is to reconstruct this historical scene.
Once the puzzle is complete, take a screenshot of the solved image.
You now have your third piece of evidence.
Three challenges completed?
Then your first stage of D. Pedro’s mission is complete.
Claim your S. Bento Explorer Badge!
Get activity badge
S. Bento Explorer Badge Get this badge
The S. Bento Explorer Badge marks the successful completion of the first stage of The Invicta City Game.
By earning this Badge, the participant has explored one of Porto’s most important cultural landmarks and used its famous tile panels to discover stories connected to Portuguese history, identity and heritage.
During the S. Bento Expedition, the participant demonstrated the ability to:
- explore cultural heritage through active observation;
- identify historical scenes and information within a real urban environment;
- connect visual heritage with historical events and stories;
- follow clues and complete different types of challenges;
- use digital tools to solve a problem;
- collect and document evidence of completed tasks;
- cooperate with others while progressing through a common mission.
Successfully earning this Badge means that the participant has completed all three challenges of the S. Bento Expedition and is ready to continue D. Pedro’s mission through Porto.
One location explored. One Badge unlocked. The mission continues.
Tasks
Task no.1
Evidence verified by: one activity organiser
To earn the S. Bento Explorer Badge, successfully complete the three challenges of the S. Bento Expedition:
Task 1 — Count the History
Discover approximately how many tiles can be found in the main hall of São Bento Railway Station.
Task 2 — Find the Royal Wedding
Locate the tile panel representing the marriage of D. João I and Philippa of Lancaster and take a photograph of it.
Task 3 — Rebuild the Historical Scene
Complete the digital puzzle representing Egas Moniz before King Alfonso VII of León and Castile.
Evidence to submit
To validate the Badge, submit:
1. Your answer to the question: “Approximately how many tiles can be found in the main hall of São Bento Railway Station?”
2. A photograph of the tile panel representing the marriage of D. João I and Philippa of Lancaster.
3. A screenshot showing the completed Egas Moniz puzzle.
All three pieces of evidence must be submitted to unlock the S. Bento Explorer Badge.
Location
Praça de Almeida Garrett, 4000-069 Porto, Portugal
Skills
ETS-TR
#Applies team work mechanisms, online collaboration, and communication tools
ETS-TR
#Promoting creativity, problem-solving and 'out-of-the-box' thinking
Organisers
Jumpinhub
Used in playlists
Porto - The Invicta City
JumpinhubCreated on Porto city of learning
Awero not-for-profit organisation manages this platform and develops it together with leading educational organisations. The European Union's programme Erasmus+ granted co-funding for building the first version of this platform. Contact [email protected].
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