Category: Religious Architecture > Church
District: Leiria > Óbidos > A dos Negros > Sancheira Grande
Located in the small village of Sancheira Grande, part of A dos Negros, in the municipality of Óbidos, the Chapel of the Holy Spirit is harmoniously integrated into the local environment. The building stands in the village's main square, surrounded by traditional houses, offering a peaceful and secluded setting.
Its East facade, in particular, enjoys an open view of a vegetation-covered slope, contributing to the serenity of the setting. It is a spot that invites a pause to observe the architecture and the rural surroundings.
The Chapel of the Holy Spirit boasts a past that, in its earliest written references, dates back to the 16th century. However, its current appearance is primarily due to a significant reconstruction that occurred in the first half of the 18th century, which gave it its Baroque and Neoclassical design.
An aspect of particular interest is the tradition that points to this site as the place where Queen D. Leonor founded, in 1498, the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Óbidos. This connection to the genesis of one of the most emblematic institutions in Portuguese social history gives the chapel significant historical meaning.
Upon observing the Chapel of the Holy Spirit, its architectural composition stands out, featuring a single nave and a chancel. On the main facade, facing West, an arched lintel porch emerges, adorned with an angel bas-relief. This ensemble is topped by a niche housing an image of the Virgin and Child, in glazed and painted ceramic, presumably produced in Lisbon between 1665 and 1680. The wooden doors, in turn, date from 1623.
On the North side, the three-story bell tower marks the landscape. The second floor displays a clock facing west, while the third features openings for the bells on all four sides, culminating in a spire that rises above the roof.
Inside the chapel, the space is organized into a single nave, with a herringbone wooden floor and a three-plane ceiling. A high choir, supported by columns, and a quadrangular pulpit complete the nave area. The triumphal arch preceding the chancel features an acanthus leaf keystone and houses the image of Saint Barbara.
The chancel, paved with slab, is covered by a barrel-vaulted ceiling. The main altarpiece integrates the imposing canvas The Pentecost, an artistic work attributed to the painter Pedro Alexandrino, dating from the mid-18th century. The side walls of the chancel are covered with a wainscoting of blue and white 18th-century tiles, illustrating biblical scenes alluding to the Holy Spirit, such as Pentecost and the Baptism of Christ.
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt
Coordinates DD: 39.3454666,-9.0831131
Coordinates DMS: 39°20'43.7"N 09°04'59.2"W
Weather A dos Negros
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