Our Lady of the Crack Church

Category: Religious Architecture > Church

District: Guarda > Trancoso > Trancoso

Location:

The church stands in isolation on the eastern slope of the town of Trancoso, next to the municipal cemetery. To the north, an avenue of centuries-old trees marks the entrance path, giving it a tranquil and contemplative character.

From the outside, one can appreciate the contrast between the rustic granite of the walls and the white-painted plaster, framed by the vegetation that surrounds the entire grounds.

Origin and History

The earliest traces point to a medieval foundation, with a Templar presence and a probable connection to D. Afonso Henriques in the 12th century. Centuries later, the building underwent several works, notably in the 18th century, when the main façade and the bell tower acquired Baroque features.

The Romanesque arrowslits and stone inscriptions reveal the different phases of construction and reconstruction, from the oral tradition that gives the temple its name to the interventions promoted by local authorities and brotherhoods over the ages.

Architecture and Art

The single nave leads into the chancel, illuminated by three ogival windows that cast light on fragments of 17th-century frescoes, where religious scenes such as the Annunciation can be discerned. Inside, the wooden high choir and the stone slab flooring reinforce the austere atmosphere.

Externally, the side portals in a broken arch, decorated with checkerboard patterns and half-spheres, and the axial portal in a depressed arch, featuring volutes and an oval oculus, stand out. The cornice rests on a series of carved corbels with geometric, zoomorphic, and anthropomorphic motifs.

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