Category: Religious Architecture > Church
District: Évora > Vila Viçosa > Vila Viçosa > Nossa Senhora da Conceição e São Bartolomeu
The Church of Our Lady of Hope is located in an urban area of Vila Viçosa, in the parish of Nossa Senhora da Conceição e São Bartolomeu. It stands serenely in a spacious, cobbled square, surrounded by traditional-looking buildings, which gives it a distinctive and welcoming atmosphere.
This chapel, with its Mannerist and popular religious architecture, features an elongated plan, where the rectangular nave joins a square chancel. The roofs stand out for their differentiation: a gabled roof covers the nave, while the chancel is topped by a dome with a cylindrical lantern. On the main facade, an angular gable frames a molded portal, with a straight lintel and a volute pediment, adorned by a coat of arms and an armillary sphere in its tympanum, accompanied by a circular oculus. The rear part of the church reveals robust buttresses, with three stepped sections, culminating in conical pinnacles, and a low wall that surrounds the complex. The structure is a solid combination of plastered and whitewashed masonry, with the chancel dome made of adobe and elements of stonework and wood.
Inside, the nave is covered by a round barrel vault resting on a cornice. The triumphal arch, connecting the nave to the chancel, is also round and richly covered with carving, supported by pilasters. The chancel, a central space, is crowned by a dome on pendentives and a cupola, both adorned with mural paintings depicting figures such as Saint Amaro, Saint Sebastian, Saint Lawrence, Saint Lucy, and Saint Blaise, set within Mannerist decorative elements. The main altarpiece, in gilt woodcarving, is characterized by lateral Solomonic columns and features three identical niches. To complete the ensemble, a wooden pulpit is elegantly positioned against one of the nave's side walls.
The construction of this chapel, classified as a Building of Public Interest, began around the 16th century, specifically in 1575. Its construction was sponsored by D. Bartolomeu Leitão, who was then Bishop of Cape Verde. Throughout the centuries, the building maintained its religious function, having been affected by damage in 1969 due to an earthquake, but preserving its essence and historical importance.
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt
Coordinates DD: 38.7778321,-7.4142773
Coordinates DMS: 38°46'40.2"N 07°24'51.4"W
Weather Vila Viçosa
On-duty Pharmacy Vila Viçosa
