Our Lady of Remedies Church

Category: Religious Architecture > Church

District: Portalegre > Nisa > Montalvão > Santo André

Location

The Church of Our Lady of Remedies stands in the heart of Montalvão, in the municipality of Nisa, integrated into the Santo André urbanization. It is located in a central churchyard, accessed by a flight of steps, and is surrounded by traditional housing, giving it a striking presence in the town's urban environment.

A History in Stone and Styles

The origins of the Church of Our Lady of Remedies date back to the 13th or 14th centuries, with an initial Gothic trace still visible today in elements such as the main portal and the side doors. Over the centuries, the temple underwent profound transformations. In the 16th century, the interior received significant alterations, and already in the 18th century, the church was subjected to a reconstruction, with the primitive structure being demolished to make way for the current one, under the responsibility of masters such as António Xavier da Mota, Dionísio Ferreira, and José Ribeiro. This evolution left marks from different eras, blending Gothic, Mannerist, and Baroque elements into its architecture.

Architectural and Artistic Details

The church features a plan with three naves and five bays, with articulated volumes highlighted by the main facade, flanked by square towers that reach double its height, topped by pinnacles and conical spires. The facade displays an oculus and a perfect arch portal, with triple archivolts resting on colonettes with capitals featuring vegetal motifs, inserted into a sharp gable.

Inside, the eye is captivated by the five perfect arch arcades resting on columns with Ionic capitals. The high choir, supported by robust wooden beams, surprises with its tops decorated with singular animal heads. The collateral and side altars, mostly in Baroque style, invite observation, with a notable side altarpiece on the epistle side that still retains Mannerist characteristics. There are also altars with painted wooden retables, revealing a genuine popular taste, and one in white and black Estremoz marble, dated from the 18th century. Added to the ensemble are holy water fonts, including a large one in the baptistery, and 17th-century chestnut benches, as well as various wooden images of saints, enriching the artistic heritage of the place.

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