Category: Religious Architecture > Church
District: Leiria > Óbidos > A dos Negros > Santa Maria Madalena
The Parish Church of Santa Maria Madalena is located in the village of A dos Negros, an area belonging to the municipality of Óbidos. It is situated at a prominent point in its urban context, offering a visible presence in the landscape. The temple stands next to the main road of the village, opposite the cemetery, and is accessed by a wide churchyard with a staircase, which enhances its presence on site.
The history of the Parish Church of Santa Maria Madalena probably dates back to the 15th century, with the existence of a primitive temple, possibly of Gothic design. The structure observed today was largely built in the 17th century, with the triumphal arch inside displaying the date 1658. Throughout the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, the church underwent various interventions and remodelling, which altered some of its original elements, such as the replacement of Baroque tiles with others of industrial production. The village of A dos Negros, in turn, is linked to a local legend that narrates the apparition of the image of Santa Maria Madalena in a cork oak, an event that, according to popular imagination, led to the construction of the church in the second half of the 15th century, over the spot where the image was found.
Inside the Parish Church of Santa Maria Madalena, visitors find a single-nave space, with the nave ceiling in wood, of three planes, and the chancel covered by a barrel vault. A high choir, resting on two columns, and a square-based pulpit, supported by a corbel, complement the structure. The temple houses a main altar and two side altars and two collateral altars, lending depth to the space. However, it is the fonts that truly capture attention: a holy water font, carved from 16th-century stone, and, more notably, the baptismal font. The latter stands out for its unique style, classified as Indianized Manueline. It features an octagonal base decorated with semi-spheres, a drum ornamented with rosettes and a knot in a richly geometric braided torus, and an octagonal bowl with five registers of distinct decorations, which include vegetation, rosettes, and grotesques that blend vegetal, zoomorphic, and anthropomorphic elements, as well as small diamond points.
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt
Coordinates DD: 39.3433562,-9.100625
Coordinates DMS: 39°20'36.1"N 09°06'2.3"W
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