We weren't yet in the 20th century when the Círculo de Católicos Operários do Porto (CCOP) was founded. It was the year 1898. "At a time of great political unrest, some anarchists even set fire to the headquarters," recalls Alberto Martins, the association's current treasurer. The reason was probably the proximity to the Catholic Church, the driving force behind the creation of an association for the defence of various working classes: among the thousands of members in the first decade, tailors and shoemakers led the way. The founding principles have stood the test of time: today, the CCOP is a Private Institution of Social Solidarity, providing meals for its users - some of whom are regulars at the long afternoons of "sueca" (a card game) by the bar.

But this isn't the only vertex of the Circle - the CCOP re-entered the city's vernacular through its Auditorium, which was remodelled in 2018 and has since been inhabited by concerts of a wide range of genres. João Maya, the organiser of this aspect of the CCOP, was looking to take over the management of a medium-sized concert hall. When he couldn't find the exact model he was looking for, he was recommended the building of an association in the Belas Artes neighbourhood.

At the time, the building was in terrible condition: the roof had caved in years ago, it needed urgent intervention to prevent it from collapsing, and the floor had holes overlooking the ground floor. Reconstructing this space was a more difficult task than a turnkey solution, but João Maya took the plunge. "I still can't say to this day. All I know is that I felt a sense of mission," he ventures. Today, he talks passionately about the association, the work done so far, and all the small changes that are needed to ensure that it "doesn't wither away", keeping its older members but attracting younger audiences too.

Before the Auditorium, a group of artists, the Rua do Sol Collective, had already begun the process of rejuvenation: in 2013, after being forced to look for a different space from the one they had occupied in the street that gave them their name, they thought of the association they passed every day on their way to the Faculty of Fine Arts. Today they still occupy three floors of one of CCOP's shops, with a gallery that one of the founders, Vítor Israel, describes as "a multidisciplinary space run by artists, which has been programming almost non-stop since 2015".

Vítor says that "for a newly-licensed artist, one of the biggest dramas in this city is the lack of places to exhibit", with most of the galleries dedicated to a more commercial aspect. The headquarters building is also home to a small restaurant and a hardware shop, whose rented space represents the association's biggest source of income.

This sustainability of accounts is where the CCOP differs from the constellation of organisations in the city, owning a building with 500m2 of indoor space and 500m2 of outdoor space. There have been several offers to buy the headquarters, but no matter how tempting the numbers, the association has always turned them down. "And it could have been such a beautiful hotel!" ironises Vítor.

This refusal to abandon the association stems from a vision that Alberto, João and Vítor share. All three believe that the context that led to the founding of this type of organisation has disappeared and, given the multiplicity of leisure activities on offer in the city, they will have to redefine themselves. Vítor talks about how "the members feel like a second home here" and how even this can have a downside: "People get very territorial, an old thing that's in our Latin blood". The way forward, they all agree, is to build something common, but open, capable of understanding those who are here and welcoming those who come from outside.