Sao Bento Train Station was finally inaugurated in 1916. This was due not only to the physical size of the space but to the 20,000 traditional azulejos, or Portuguese tiles, which were used to adorn the interior. Laid between 1905 and 1916, the tiles were the work of Jorge Colaco, the most renowned tile painter in Portugal at the time.These distinctive blue and white panels depict a series of scenes from Porto everyday life and history, from King Joao I and Queen Philippa of Lancaster standing by the cathedral in 1387 and Prince Henry the Navigator conquering Ceuta in Morocco, to a representation of the Battle of Arcos de Valdevez and the meeting of the Knight Egas Moniz and Alfonso VII of Leon in the 12th century.
The painting above shows Philippa of Lancaster, daughter of John Gaunt the English 1st Duke of Lancaster, being met by her future husband King (Joao) John I of Portugal in 1387 and paraded through the streets prior to the grand wedding ceremony in Porto's Cathedral. This wedding was the start of one of the world's longest political relationships. England and Portugal have always been allies from this point onwards.They had a famous son, called Prince (Enrique) Henry the Navigator. He was one of the instrumental figures in establishing the Portuguese Navy as a global dominant power that explored unknown areas of the world and claimed them for the Portuguese empire.