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Church of Saint Mary of Barrô

Church of Saint Mary of Barrô

Resende, PT

Built halfway on the slope, on the left bank of the Douro, the Church of Barrô, consecrated to Saint Mary, is a late Romanesque building, perhaps founded in the 12th century. The family of Egas Moniz, the schoolmaster and governor of Afonso Henriques, the first king of Portugal, is credited with its endowment and hypothetical construction or reconstruction because there are suspicions of a previous temple having stood on this very site. Without being able to pinpoint a timeline, the edification of the Church lingered in time, because, despite its Romanesque nature, it already shows proto-Gothic elements: the big window, the rosette and the art of the capitals of a plant-related and floral nature. The symmetrical façade is already marked by the simplicity of the Gothic, only unbalanced by the bell tower, built in the 19th century. This prefiguring is also perceivable inside through the verticality of the space. Inside, the capitals of the triumphal arch depicting hunting scenes, perhaps an allegory of the struggles between good and evil, are also noteworthy. From the Baroque period, when Barrô was already an important commendation of the order of Malta, the "Johannine" (1725-1750) altarpiece [main altar] stands out.The Virgin of the Assumption, which replaced the medieval invocation to Saint Mary, is also an excellent example of Baroque sculpture.

Church of Saint Mary of Gondar

Church of Saint Mary of Gondar

Amarante, PT

Built in the 13th century, the Church of Gondar, once the seat of a small female monastic complex, is located half-way up the slope, in the valley of the river Ovelha. Its foundation and historical route intertwine with the lineage of the Gundares, whose members achieved fame in the region throughout the Middle Ages. Their disappearance was hastened from the extinction of the monastery in 1455. Although there are no traces of the outbuildings of the monastery, the Church of Gondar still attests to its originally monastic nature: the corbels [salient support stones] present in the outer ornaments bear witness to the existence of structures attached to the Church on both sides. The Romanesque design of this Church was almost entirely preserved, despite the transformations it underwent throughout the Modern Age. It falls under the category of late Romanesque, as evidenced by the quadrangular corbels and composition of the portals. The main portal has no columns, its archivolts sit on ceiling heights and the tympanum is flat. The only element decorated in this portal is the outer archivolt, with a chequered motif, so typical of the Portuguese Romanesque. The portal is topped by a small oculus consisting of five circles, forming a cross.

Church of Saint Mary of Jazente

Church of Saint Mary of Jazente

Amarante, PT

A building with elements that may be included in the category of late Romanesque, the Church of Jazente presents itself as an important historical record of the ancient boundaries of the diocese of Porto. The façade is dominated by the portal, one of the elements that best exposes its late construction, but it is in its tympanum that lies its greatest originality. Here we observe a cross pattée overlapping an identical motif, engraved on the lintel supporting it. By the end of Romanesque, there was a tendency to punch the tympanum, not only with the casting of crosses but also with other orifices. Such is confirmed by the five circle-shaped openings, forming a cross, surrounded by a double circle engraved in granite on the south side portal. Inside, the Gothic sculpture representing the patron saint of the Church, the Virgin with the Child Jesus in her arms, of the so-called "Jazente", stands out. This is a work in polychrome limestone in which Mother and Son transpire maternal and filial love. Jazente is also recognized for being the abbey of Paulino Cabral (1719-1789) who preached here between 1752 and 1784, from "Arcadismoâ", a literary movement of a classicist nature whose leading figure was Bocage.

Church of Saint Mary of Meinedo

Church of Saint Mary of Meinedo

Lousada, PT

The Church of Meinedo, dating from the 13th-14th centuries, features architectonic and decorative characteristics that stand out for their simplicity, regardless of their great historic and artistic value. The campaign of archaeological excavations held between 1991 and 1993 allowed the identification of the part of the chapel as a building which may date back to the Suevi period [5th-6th centuries].In 1113, the bishop of Porto, D. Hugo, gained the "Couto" [place with privileges] of the Monastery of Saint Thyrsus of Meinedo from King Afonso Henriques, monarch at the time. According to legend, during the Visigoth occupation of the 6th century, this Monastery housed the body of Saint Thyrsus, who came from the city of Constantinople. Meinedo would have been the seat of a bishopric in this period. The Church presents a single nave with a rectangular apse, both with wooden roofing. The main portal has archivolts decorated with pearl motifs. Inside the Church, the abundant and original ornamentation of the crossing arch and the chancel stands out, combining the Mannerist and Baroque styles. Regarding the latter, the emphasis lies in the tiles and the ceiling which depicts themes of Marian life. The sculpture of Our Lady of Meinedo, or Our Lady of the Snows, is a Gothic work constructed in polychromatic limestone.

Church of Saint Mary of Sobretâmega

Church of Saint Mary of Sobretâmega

Marco de Canaveses, PT

Built on the right bank of the river Tâmega, at the entrance of the now missing Bridge of Canaveses, the Church of Sobretâmega was founded after 1320 and seems to have replaced another temple, whose patron was Saint Peter. It should be understood within this framework and in its close relationship with the Church of Saint Nicholas of Canaveses, on the other riverbank, so close by and with a very similar structure. Its portals attest to the late chronology, given the absence of columns and capitals. In the main portal, only the corbels [salient support stones] adorned with pearls show the permanence of a Romanesque motif which was often used in the basins of the Tâmega and Douro. This portal would be sheltered by a porch [attached cover], as the remaining corbels reveal. The bell tower stands isolated to the north of the chevet. Of modest dimensions, it has been subjected to deep changes in Modern Era, namely at the level of the arrangement of the triumphal arch with pilasters and intradorsum pads. In the chancel, the whitewashed interior houses a gilded altarpiece of "National" style. It is also worth mentioning the limestone image dedicated to the patron saint, which represents the Marian cult established in this temple since the 14th century.

Church of Saint Mary of Veade

Church of Saint Mary of Veade

Celorico de Basto, PT

Built in the 13th century, where a small chapel once stood, the present-day Church of Veade was, however, a dramatically changed structure in the 18th century. From the Romanesque period, side portals subsist, despite being rotated during the Baroque interventions, which reoriented the Church (originally the main façade found itself facing west, following the so-called canonical orientation) and a west head was added. The north and south portals are deeply ornated, displaying pearls and botanic motifs, snippets of chequered friezes and capitals where the common theme depicts the basins of rivers Tâmega and Douro, under the influence of the city of Braga: the scene of Daniel in the lions' den. Although the main portal shows the profound changes that the Church underwent at the hands of Commander Alvaro Pinto, from the noble families of Lamego, it is within that the Baroque style is understood in all its splendour. Although previous campaigns are distinguished, of Mannerist nature, Baroque is the scenery that takes up the entire space.

Church of Saint Matthew, Colmar

Church of Saint Matthew, Colmar

Colmar, FR

This church is a former Franciscan church whose nave was built in 1292. The city became the owner of the Church in 1543. The Lutheran Reformation was introduced in Colmar in 1575 and the city made this church available to the “Protestants”: the first congregation was celebrated on the 15th May by Pastor Jean Cellarius.

Church of Saint Maurice, Arbrefontaine

Church of Saint Maurice, Arbrefontaine

Lierneux, BE

This small church is located in a beautiful hilly village which has retained its old houses and farms. Along the building old tombstones rest. Around it, a lawn. In the interior, the painted wooden ceiling covered with the figures of saints is in the shape of the hull of a boat turned upside down and draws the attention.

Church of Saint Maximin, Wahl

Church of Saint Maximin, Wahl

Wahl, LU

The current church was constructed in 1758 by Jean-Georges Knaus in a rural Baroque style, and dedicated in 1767, by the auxiliary Bishop of Trier, Jean-Nicolas de Hontheim. In 1874, the sanctuary was enlarged on the chancel side.

Church of Saint Medard

Church of Saint Medard

Tremblay-en-France, FR

This church between classical and Renaissance architecture lets us discover a mixture of different periods and impressive architecture. The western part of the church was built in the 16th century. From 1997 to 2007, the church underwent a long campaign of complete restoration. It reopens its doors in 2007 to host cultural events.

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