Category: Religious Architecture > Church
District: Bragança > Mirandela > Torre de Dona Chama
The Mother Church is located on an elevated point in the town of Torre de Dona Chama. It is built on a kind of platform, or churchyard, which was artificially created and supported by a robust granite ashlar wall on its south-facing side. This commanding position gives it prominence in the town's urban landscape.
Observing the church from the outside, we encounter a construction of predominantly Baroque architecture. The main facade, facing west, presents a particular design where the bell tower is directly integrated into the frontispiece, as if growing from it. The walls are plastered, but the structural and decorative elements, such as the cornerstones, the frames of the openings, the cornices, and the gables, are highlighted by worked granite stonework.
The main portal, with its depressed arch, is framed by pilasters supporting a cornice and pinnacles, topped by an interrupted curved pediment, in the center of which a niche opens. Above the portal, a quadrilobed oculus stands out. On the side facades, there are doors with curved lintels and rectangular windows. An interesting detail on the exterior is a stone sundial, visible above one of the sacristy's cornerstones.
Upon entering the church, the space is organized into a single-nave, longitudinal plan, leading to the rectangular chancel, and the sacristy adjacent to the south. The bell tower, prominent on the facade, extends into the interior, creating an entrance area (endonarthex) beneath the choir loft, which rests on a depressed arch and features a wooden balustrade.
The nave's side walls are symmetrical. Here, we can find built-in confessionals and, on one side, a pulpit that appears suspended, supported by a corbel. The interior space invites contemplation of the decorative and structural elements that reveal themselves as we move through the main nave.
The interior decoration of the Mother Church is one of its most remarkable features. In the chancel, the eye is immediately drawn to the main altarpiece in gilded woodcarving of the Joanine style, characterized by its Solomonic columns (spiral-shaped), a baldachin crowning, and a central throne. The carving is rich in phytomorphic details, shells, florets, putti (child figures), and other human figures.
The ceilings are another element of great artistic value. In the nave, the barrel-vaulted ceiling is made of wood painted with a scene of the Annunciation, dated 1844. Even more impressive is the chancel ceiling, composed of 24 painted wooden coffers. These panels depict figures of the Evangelists, Doctors of the Church, and various scenes from the life of Christ, offering a remarkable iconographic collection.
There are also side altars with carvings, including one in national Baroque style on the Epistle side. Near the triumphal arch separating the nave from the chancel, some mural paintings can be observed. In the rear area of the church, there is the baptismal font and, on the nearby wall, a tile panel illustrating the baptism of Christ.
The main construction of the Mother Church of Torre de Dona Chama conjecturally dates back to the late 17th or early 18th century, a period that marks the Baroque style present in its architecture. Over time, the building underwent modifications and additions.
A date to note is 1815, which is inscribed above the main door. This date likely corresponds to interventions or renovations carried out on the church's facade. The painting decorating the nave's ceiling dates from 1844, showing that the church continued to be artistically enriched in periods subsequent to its initial construction.
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt
Coordinates DD: 41.6522205,-7.1263866
Coordinates DMS: 41°39'8.0"N 07°07'35.0"W
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