Chapel of Saint Martha

Category: Religious Architecture > Chapel

District: Bragança > Freixo de Espada à Cinta > Lagoaça

Location

Situated in the locality of Lagoaça, in the municipality of Freixo de Espada à Cinta, the Chapel of Santa Marta stands isolated atop an elevation. At 765 meters of altitude, this location offers a dominant perspective over the surrounding territory, providing a wide and unobstructed view over the Lagoaça plateau and the ridge line that announces the approach of the Douro valley. The rural setting and elevated position invite contemplation of the landscape.

On this same summit, traces of human presence from other times can be found, with the discovery of scattered Roman materials. Fragments of tiles, ceramics, and millstones are testimonies of an ancient occupation, indicating that a Roman house existed here, perhaps connected to a road that crossed the region.

Legacy and Revival

The history of the Chapel of Santa Marta conjecturally dates back to the 15th century, when a chapel dedicated to Santa Marinha is thought to have been built. Over the centuries, the building underwent different phases, with records of a 17th-century renovation that introduced Tuscan columns, visible today in the porch.

By the 18th century, the chapel was a pilgrimage site for the inhabitants of Lagoaça, who traveled there in search of rain miracles. However, in the early 20th century, the site was in ruins. The current chapel is the result of a significant reconstruction in the 1930s or 1940s, initiated by two local residents returning from Brazil, who erected it using elements of the primitive construction, keeping alive the historical connection and devotion at the site.

Granite and Light Features

The Chapel of Santa Marta features simple, vernacular religious architecture with a longitudinal plan. Its plastered and white-painted facades give it a sober appearance. One of the most distinctive elements is its front porch, with a cement roof supported by two granite columns with faceted shafts, framing a robust pointed arch, also in granite.

Inside, the space is equally stripped-down and luminous. The floor is made of slate slabs, and the "masseira" wooden ceiling, painted in a blue hue, is adorned with a tie-beam and an eight-pointed star in the center, which draw the eye. The granite main altar complements the simplicity of the ensemble, inviting a moment of quietude and reflection.

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