Category: Religious Architecture > Church
District: Braga > Vizela > Santo Adrião > Revinhade
The Chapel of Nossa Sra. da Tocha (Our Lady of the Torch) is situated atop a hill in the Revinhade area, in the locality of Santo Adrião, Vizela municipality. This hill, with traces of ancient occupation, rises as a landmark in the landscape. Reaching the chapel involves an ascent, crowned by a stone staircase in the final meters.
From the top of this site, visitors can enjoy views over part of the Vizela valley to the north and glimpse the beginning of the neighboring municipality of Felgueiras to the south, realizing the strategic position the hill occupies in the region.
The site where the chapel was built has roots that delve deep into time. It sits upon an ancient castro, a type of fortified settlement that existed before the arrival of the Romans. This pre-Roman foundation is so significant that the chapel is sometimes locally known as Nossa Senhora do Castro (Our Lady of the Castro).
Scholars suggest that the devotion to Our Lady of the Torch, particularly associated with light and birth, may echo older pagan cults linked to fertility and childbirth, such as the Roman goddesses Lucina or Greek Ilithyia, often represented as light-bearers.
The chapel presents a simple but distinctive appearance, notably due to the presence of merlons (small battlements) that crown the roof, giving it the look of a miniature fortress. Despite this peculiarity, it is not a fortified church, the merlons being decorative elements that recall Romanesque aesthetics, some of them with simple decorations like spheres or geometric figures.
The construction uses local stone in a rustic manner, harmonizing with the nature of the hill. The main entrance is marked by a flattened ogival arch with frugal decoration. The interior is unadorned, focusing on the chancel that houses the images of the Lady.
The cult of Nossa Senhora da Tocha is strongly linked to childbirth and the protection of pregnant women and newborns. The image of the Lady, holding the Infant Jesus, is depicted with a torch or candle in her other hand, a symbol associated with the light that guides and protects at the moment of birth.
A unique tradition that still persists is the custom of ringing the chapel bell whenever a baby is born in the locality. This festive peal announces the good news to the entire neighborhood, celebrating the arrival of new life.
Annually, in May, a candlelit procession dedicated to Our Lady of the Torch takes place, a moment of faith that gathers the community and reinforces the bond between the Lady, light, and new life.
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt
Coordinates DD: 41.3625571,-8.2822366
Coordinates DMS: 41°21'45.2"N 08°16'56.1"W
Weather Santo Adrião
On-duty Pharmacy Santo Adrião
