Church of Our Lady of Penha de França

Category: Religious Architecture > Church

District: Açores > Povoação > Água Retorta > Terra Chã

Location

Situated in the picturesque locality of Água Retorta, in the municipality of Povoação, on the island of São Miguel, the Church of Nossa Senhora da Penha de França stands in the Terra Chã area. This temple is located in a rural setting, slightly set back from the village center, but with its main facade oriented towards the community. Access is via a welcoming churchyard, paved with cobblestones and adapted to the slope of the terrain, inviting ascent by a staircase. Nearby, a small boxwood garden adds a green touch to the ensemble, and to the north, the parish cemetery, delimited by a wall with iron railings, offers a perspective of the church's connection to community life.

Memory and Construction

The history of the Church of Nossa Senhora da Penha de França is rich and dates back to the 17th century, when a hermitage under the same invocation, founded by Captain Pedro Barbosa da Silva, existed on the site. However, throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, this hermitage faced periods of degradation and became insufficient for the growing population. It was then that, between 1871 and 1885, through the effort and alms of the community, the current church was built, incorporating the bell tower of the old hermitage, which is, therefore, an older vestige than the main body of the temple. The main facade, for example, bears the date 1872, marking the completion of part of this significant work.

Micaelense Architecture

The Church of Nossa Senhora da Penha de França presents architecture that reflects the Neo-Baroque revivalist style, with distinctive characteristics of Micaelense churches. Its structure, with three naves and a tripartite chancel, is a good example of work in basalt stonework, a material that confers robustness and a striking chromatic contrast with the white-painted masonry. The stone details are visible in the door and window frames and in the bell tower, enriching the ensemble. Inside, the naves are separated by arches and columns, with ample lighting that highlights the wooden ceilings and the false stucco vaults, decorated with mural paintings. The Baroque-style main altar, and the absidioles, with their painted altarpieces, demonstrate the attention given to the artistic and devotional details of the space.

Devotional Heritage and Local Legend

Beyond its architectural and historical relevance, the church is a center of devotion and holds symbolic treasures. The main altar houses the image of Nossa Senhora da Penha de França, the patron saint of the temple, and recently, the church gained prominence for being the first in the Azores to receive a relic of Carlo Acutis, the young beatified known as "patron saint of the internet." This relic was placed on the new altar of regional basalt, a gesture that underlines the temple's connection to contemporary spirituality and the role of the Eucharist. Curiously, a local legend enriches the narrative of the place: it is said that the stones intended for the construction of another church, in Lomba das Fagundas, mysteriously appeared at the current site, a sign interpreted as divine will for the temple to be built there.

License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt