Hermitage of Saint Sebastian (Alvito)

Category: Religious Architecture > Hermitage

District: Beja > Alvito > Alvito > Bairro Tapada do Lucas

Location

- Situated in Rossio de São Sebastião, Southeast of the center of Alvito, in the municipality of Alvito, in Alentejo.

Classification

- Classified as a Property of Public Interest since 1961.

Architecture

- The hermitage has a simple plan, formed by two rectangular bodies, with different heights, corresponding to the nave and the chancel.

- The main facade presents a late-Gothic Alentejo style with Manueline and Mudéjar influences (influence of Islamic art).

- The construction includes 14 buttresses in the shape of a truncated cone, and the chancel has chamfered merlons, common in buildings in the region.

- The entrance is through an ogival door, with an oculus above, and the bell gable located at the top.

Interior

- Highlights include the mural paintings on the vault, dating from the 17th century, depicting musical angels.

- The walls are also decorated with frescoes, representing various saints and frames with natural motifs.

- A baseboard simulates tiles with geometric designs, a visually interesting feature.

History

- Built at the end of the 15th century, around 1485, outside the walls of the village, as was customary in sanctuaries dedicated to patron saints against epidemics, such as Saint Sebastian.

- Its construction may have been motivated by a plague epidemic that affected the region in the late 1470s.

- Before the construction of the hermitage, the site was occupied by silos of medieval origin.

Similarities

- The hermitage shares characteristics with other Alentejo sanctuaries, such as the Hermitage of São Brás, in Évora, and the Hermitage of Santo André, in Beja.

- The Chapel of São Bartolomeu, in the municipality of Alvito, is a similar example in terms of style and volumetry.

Sources: https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ermida_de_São_Sebastião_(Alvito)

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