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Church of Saint Andrew of Telões

Church of Saint Andrew of Telões

Amarante, PT

In the 14th century, Telões already emerged as a parish church, raised to the category of a monastic seat, which has disappeared in the meantime. Profoundly changed over the centuries in response to new tastes and new liturgies, we must situate its Romanesque construction at the turn of the 12th to the 13th century. The subsequent transformations (denounced by several scars along the walls of the nave), the edification of the church porch and vestry, or even the opening of large rectangular windows in the sidewalls, produced a profound modification of the medieval spatiality. However, one of the most significant transformations to this Church occurred in the 16th century, resulting in a widespread campaign of mural painting, although today we can only appreciate the one on the back wall of the nave, depicting the Nativity scene. In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Church of Telões was endowed with new altars and altarpieces (main, two collateral and two lateral), which combine the Mannerist and Baroque styles with contemporary interventions.

Church of Saint Andrew of Vila Boa de Quires

Church of Saint Andrew of Vila Boa de Quires

Marco de Canaveses, PT

The Church of Vila Boa de Quires was built in the second quarter of the 13th century, as part of a monastic complex. It seems to have been secularized already in the 14th century and was linked to the lineage of the Portocarreiros, with particular local and regional importance throughout the Middle Ages. The main façade stands out as one of the most elaborate in the Baixo Tâmega, similar to the Church of Barrô (Resende). The portal resembles the one in the Church of the Monastery of Paço de Sousa (Penafiel), featuring decorated capitals with symmetrical motifs of botanic nature. The corbels [salient support stones] feature the shape of bovine heads. The entire façade was displaced in 1881 when the nave was expanded and the bell tower was added. The interior contrasts with the sobriety of the façade and the detachment imposed by the granite ornaments. The most noticeable artistic differences may be found in the chancel. The Neoclassical altarpiece [main altar] features a large canvas alluding to the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. In the vault of the chancel, a set of 18th-century paintings narrate scenes of the Trial and Passion of Christ, whose journey ends in the mural painting on the triumphal arch, in the nave.

Church of Saint Andrew, Alet-Les-Bains

Church of Saint Andrew, Alet-Les-Bains

Alet-les-Bains , FR

This beautiful church adjoins the ruins of the Abbey of Alet. Its area dominates the adjoining cemetery and the main street of the village. It is of southern Gothic style. The interior is remarkable, notably with its beautiful frescoes from the 14th century, in the north side chapel, known as Saint Benoit chapel. The building was built by order of the first Bishop of Alet, in the 14th century. A restoration took place in the 17th century, and an extension in the 18th century.

Church of Saint Aspais

Church of Saint Aspais

Melun , FR

Jewel of the flamboyant Gothic, this church is the largest in the city of Melun. Its first mention in 1080 does not testify to its greatness, but it is assumed that it was not the size it has today. Indeed, many works were carried out on this church, notably in the 16th, 17th, 18th and 20th centuries.

Church of Saint Ayoul

Church of Saint Ayoul

Provins, FR

This impressive church is a mixture of different styles and periods. Today desacralized, it is the testimony of the religious history of the city. Visitors can enter the church through a sublime porch, whose tympanum and vaults bear witness to the magnificence of Gothic architecture.

Church of Saint Barthélémy

Church of Saint Barthélémy

Torcy, FR

This church, which imitates the architectural style of the 15th century, actually dates from the 19th century, since it was built on the initiative of Jacques Picquenard, the mayor of the town. It was consecrated by the Bishop of Meaux in 1885.

Church of Saint Blaise, Vichy

Church of Saint Blaise, Vichy

Vichy, FR

With its statue of the Virgin which stands at 42 m and its bell tower which culminates at 67 m, the Church of Saint-Blaise already draws the gaze from the crossing of the Allier. It is embedded in Old Vichy built on the rock of CÈlestins. This art deco gem incorporates the ´old church´, dedicated from the very beginning to Notre-Dame.

Church of Saint Catherine

Church of Saint Catherine

Thessaloniki, GR

The Church of Saint Catherine is a Byzantine church from the late 13th century. The building was originally intended to be a church for the Christós Pantodýnamos Monastery. Under Bayezid II (1481 - 1512), it was transformed into a mosque. A restoration took place from 1947 to 1951. Since 1988, it has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site among "Paleochristian and Byzantine buildings of Thessaloniki".

Church of Saint Christopher of Nogueira

Church of Saint Christopher of Nogueira

Cinfães, PT

The Church of Saint Christopher of Nogueira is included in the set of buildings classified as late Romanesque, although the traces reused in the current structure, such as the frieze on the north side, near the bell tower, indicate a transition between the 12th and the 13th centuries. Its deployment, halfway up the hillside, respects the canonical orientation, thus extending longitudinally on two planes: the nave, larger, with the façade facing west, and the chancel, smaller, with the chevet facing east. The main and side portals are especially noteworthy. The former falls within the thickness of the wall, with no columns, but whose archivolts are adorned by the pearls motif. The south side portal draws our attention to the originality of its décor: two clenched fists placed on the lines of ashlars hold a key and the ceiling heights feature symbolic or decorative motifs, such as a lizard. The inside is distinctly Baroque, highlighting the sectioned ceiling with polychrome wood with 71 hagiographic panels [the life of the saints]. It features five altarpieces [altars] (the mor [main], two lateral and two co-lateral) that are included in the various types of Baroque, from the "National" to the "Johannine style".

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