Category: Religious Architecture > Church
District: Portalegre > Campo Maior > Campo Maior > Nossa Senhora da Expectação
Situated in the historic heart of Campo Maior, in Largo Dr. Regala, the Parish Church of Nossa Senhora da Expectação stands as one of the most prominent buildings in the locality. Its main facade, facing southwest, benefits from a strategic location that gives it visibility within the urban fabric.
Access to the church is facilitated by a rounded staircase that overcomes the unevenness of the terrain, leading visitors to its imposing portal. Two side churchyards, also with staircases, allow access to the temple's side doors, integrating it harmoniously into the surrounding area of the town.
The Parish Church of Campo Maior, also known as the Church of Nossa Senhora da Expectação, is a notable example of religious architecture combining elements from the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. Classified as a Building of Public Interest, its construction took place between 1570 and 1646, reflecting the "chão" Baroque style, an architectural trend that prioritizes sobriety and scale, integrating into the typology of so-called "hall-churches".
The temple's facade, marked by two square-section bell towers, presents a balanced design. The main portal, with its triangular pediment, is flanked by large windows that illuminate the choir, lending a classical dignity to the ensemble. The gable and terrace roofs, combined with the articulation of volumes, demonstrate the construction expertise of the era.
Upon passing through the windbreak, the visitor encounters a spacious interior with three naves, whose ribbed vault ceiling is supported by robust marble pillars. One of the most impressive features of this space is the collection of nine Baroque altarpieces and two tribunes, dating from the mid-18th century.
These altars, attributed to the sculptor José Francisco de Abreu, stand out for their erudite design and technical quality. They are predominantly constructed with marbles of various shades, black, white, and red, lending them a chromatic richness and a sophistication of classical and Italianizing lines. Among the various altars, representations such as the Pietà and a painting of the Last Supper at the Altar of the Blessed Sacrament can be found. The main altar is the most elaborate of the entire ensemble, displaying an 18th-century choir stall and a camarim with the image of the patron saint, Nossa Senhora da Expectação.
One of the most unique elements of the Parish Church is the Chapel of Bones, built in 1766. This chapel serves as a poignant memorial to the catastrophic explosion of the gunpowder magazine in the Keep of Campo Maior Castle, which occurred in 1732. Its walls, lined with human bones, are a silent and striking testament to the history and resilience of the local community in the face of a large-scale tragedy, offering a moment of reflection on the collective memory of the town.
The church also preserves other elements of remarkable interest. In the baptistery, located at the base of one of the towers, there is a Gothic baptismal font in granite ashlar, believed to originate from the old parish church. At strategic points in the naves, elegantly positioned pulpits enrich the religious ambiance, while openwork marble screens delineate the transept, highlighting the attention to detail and the opulence of the materials used throughout centuries of construction and enhancement of this notable heritage.
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt
Coordinates DD: 39.0125769,-7.0700033
Coordinates DMS: 39°00'45.3"N 07°04'12.0"W
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