Category: Religious Architecture > Church
District: Bragança > Mogadouro > Mogadouro > Centro Histórico
The Church of Misericórdia is located in the heart of Mogadouro's historic centre. It is situated in a prominent area of the town, near where the castle once stood, in the space known as Largo da Misericórdia.
The history of this temple is linked to the foundation of the Santa Casa da Misericórdia (Holy House of Mercy) of Mogadouro, which occurred after 1559. The initiative is attributed to D. Luís Álvares de Távora, who obtained papal approval from Pope Pius IV for the creation of the brotherhood and its church. Portuguese Misericórdias, rooted in the one founded in Lisbon at the end of the 15th century, played an essential role in aiding the needy and sick, for which they also built their places of worship.
The building features religious architecture that reflects elements of Mannerist and Baroque styles. Its structure has a rectangular plan, divided between the main nave and the chancel. The façade facing the square stands out with its entrance portal, designed as a perfect arch, above which is a niche housing an image of the Pietà, representing Our Lady of Piety. The exterior walls are plastered and painted white, contrasting with the protruding grey base and the stone masonry details at the corners and the upper finish.
Inside, the church maintains the predominance of white on the walls, adorned in the lower part by a blue-painted wainscoting. The floor is covered with granite stone slabs, and the ceiling of the main nave is made of wood, crafted in the shape of a kneading trough. In the nave area, flanking the space, two carved polychrome altarpieces can be observed, one dedicated to Saint Joseph and the other to Saint Sebastian. The choir loft, an elevated area above the entrance, underwent alterations and remodelling at the end of the 18th century.
Access to the chancel is through a perfect round arch, a structure dating from the 16th or early 17th century. The ceiling of this section is a barrel vault and is decorated with painted coffered panels from the 18th century. These paintings, executed by Master Manuel Teixeira de Matos, a native of Mogadouro, depict scenes from the life of Christ and bear the coats of arms of the Misericórdias. The same artist was responsible for the paintings visible on the side walls, with biblical motifs such as the Sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham and the figure of Moses. The main altarpiece, at the back of the chancel, is a notable piece of Mannerist style, with gilded carving and black-painted details, dating back to the second half of the 17th century and restored in 1995.
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt
Coordinates DD: 41.3377459,-6.7206799
Coordinates DMS: 41°20'15.9"N 06°43'14.4"W
Weather Mogadouro
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