Category: Religious Architecture > Chapel
District: Castelo Branco > Covilhã > Covilhã
The Chapel of São Martinho stands on a small elevated platform, within the campus of the University of Beira Interior, in Covilhã, on Rua Marquês d’Ávila e Bolama. Access is provided by two staircases flanked by granite walls and well-maintained gardens.
Although surrounded by university buildings, it remains isolated and tranquil, offering a corner of medieval architecture right in the urban center.
Dating back to the late 12th century, this chapel is the oldest building in the city of Covilhã. It is believed to have served as the parish church of São Martinho and, over the centuries, was referenced in royal and ecclesiastical documents, including a 1320 bull that mentions it among the kingdom's temples.
The coat of arms of the Order of Malta, visible on the gable finial, reveals ancient ties to medieval religious institutions, and remnants of mural painting inside bear witness to later phases of adornment, between the 16th and 18th centuries.
Built of exposed granite, the chapel features a longitudinal plan with a single nave and a wooden roof. The main portal is distinguished by a perfect arch, with two archivolts supported by columns with vegetal capitals, and a tympanum carved in the shape of a quatrefoil.
The interior is softly lit by narrow slits piercing the granite walls, providing a sober frame for the triumphal arch and the side altars covered with Hispano-Arabic tiles. The serenity of the space invites contemplation of Romanesque simplicity.
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt
Coordinates DD: 40.277773,-7.507671
Coordinates DMS: 40°16'40.0"N 07°30'27.6"W
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