Chapel of Bones of Campo Maior

Category: Religious Architecture > Church

District: Portalegre > Campo Maior > Campo Maior > Nossa Senhora da Expectação

Location

The Chapel of Bones of Campo Maior is located in the Alentejo town of Campo Maior, integrated into the parish of Nossa Senhora da Expectação. This unique building is attached to the Mother Church, one of the town's reference points, facilitating its identification and access. Its position in the urban center allows visitors to understand its historical and community relevance in the town's life.

The Memory of a Tragedy

This space was erected in 1766, as a painful testament to a significant event in Campo Maior's history. Its construction is due to an explosion in a gunpowder magazine that occurred in 1732, which claimed the lives of more than two-thirds of the town's population. The Chapel of Bones thus emerges as a memorial to these lost lives, a way to perpetuate the community's memory in the face of a calamity that deeply marked it.

The Solemn Atmosphere

Upon entering the Chapel of Bones, visitors are confronted with an interior lined with thousands of human remains, belonging to the victims of the 1732 tragedy. The chapel's walls and ceiling were designed with these elements, creating an atmosphere of deep reflection and solemnity. This arrangement is a notable and original example of Christian funerary art in Portugal. The Chapel of Bones of Campo Maior is recognized as the second largest of its kind in the country, right after the Chapel of Bones of Évora, underscoring its particular dimension and significance.

A Historical Legacy

The Chapel of Bones of Campo Maior represents a valuable heritage, a space that has been the subject of attention for its conservation. Recently, it benefited from a restoration and preservation intervention, ensuring that this place of memory remains available for visitors. It is a tangible testament to the resilience of a community and how collective memory can be kept alive through constructions with such a unique and moving purpose.

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