Mercy Church of Esposende

Category: Religious Architecture > Church

District: Braga > Esposende > Esposende > Zona Central

Location

The Misericórdia Church is located in the historical center of Esposende, on Rua Rodrigues de Faria, next to the City Hall building.

History

It is believed that the church was founded around 1650, but there are older references indicating that the original Misericórdia temple predates this date.

Exterior Architecture

The church has a rectangular plan and a south-facing facade. The facade reflects the historicist eclecticism characteristic of late-century churches, with elements such as the segmental arched doorway, a circular window, decorations on the doors and windows, vegetal motifs, a broken pediment with wings, pinnacles and spires on the corners of the building, and a Misericórdia shield with the royal crown on top of the facade.

Interior

The interior of the church is simple, with a single nave, except for the Chapel of Senhor Jesus dos Mareantes. The choir and pulpit are made of wood with metal inlays. The ceiling is stuccoed, and the chancel has remnants of 18th-century painting with vegetal motifs. A painted canvas altarpiece on the high altar stands out, dating from the early 17th century, representing Our Lady of Mercy. In the chancel, there is also a small Pietá in a niche.

Chapel of Senhor dos Mareantes

This chapel is located inside the church and was classified as a property of public interest in 1977. It was built due to the donation of an image of Christ at the end of the 16th century. The chapel's ceiling has white-painted wooden coffers, with reliefs representing the twelve messianic prophets in three groups of four. On the main altar of the chapel, there is an image of Christ Crucified, surrounded by sculpted angel heads in a wooden panel. The chapel also has niches with representations of passages from the life of Christ, such as the "Meeting of Jesus with the Samaritan Woman at Jacob's Well" and the "Meeting of Christ with Zacchaeus". In addition, there are two oil paintings on the side panels, representing the "Agony in the Garden" and "The Fall on the Way to Calvary".

Sources: https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igreja_da_Misericórdia_de_Esposende

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