Saint Peter's Church

Category: Religious Architecture > Church

District: Porto > Paços de Ferreira > Arreigada > Paião

Location

The Church of Saint Peter is serenely integrated into the Paião area, in the locality of Arreigada, Paços de Ferreira. This monument rises in an open valley, in a quiet area, surrounded by a landscape of scattered houses and agricultural fields. Its position, next to a public road and flanked by the cemetery and the parish residence, offers a setting that invites a moment of pause and contemplation.

Past and Monastic Essence

This remarkable building, classified as a National Monument since 1928, is what remains of an ancient male monastery, known as the Monastery of Saint Peter of Ferreira. Its foundation dates back to the mid-10th century, although the Romanesque construction we see today was erected between the 12th and 13th centuries. Throughout the Middle Ages, this monastery played a significant role in the agricultural and cultural development of the region, influencing settlement and local life. Its secular history is linked to various orders and owners, including the canons of Porto Cathedral and noble families of the region, until it was annexed to the Bishop of Porto's Chamber in the 15th century.

Romanesque Architectural Expression

The Church of Saint Peter is one of the most expressive examples of Romanesque architecture in Portugal, standing out for the robustness and strength of its construction in apparent granite stonework. Its single nave, with external and internal buttresses, reveals the solidity of its design. The main portal, inserted into a pentagonal body, is particularly notable for its carved archivolts and richly decorated capitals featuring vegetal, geometric, and zoomorphic motifs. The complexity of its sculptural program reveals the influence of various stonemason workshops, converging styles from schools such as Zamora, Coimbra, and Unhão. More attentive visitors may discover curious representations, such as that of jesters on one of the capitals of the chancel.

Points of Interest

Inside the church, the chancel presents a polygonal shape and a vault with two distinct sections, indicating a possible Galician influence. Also noteworthy are the Manueline-style baptismal font, which displays the coat of arms of D. Diogo de Sousa, and a Gothic image of Saint Peter, patron saint of the old monastery, dating from the 16th century. Outside, next to the main facade, the ruins of a galilee persist, a type of narthex with a funerary function, of which few examples remain in Portugal. Among the still visible funerary pieces, a tomb and a tomb slab with the recumbent effigy of João Vasques da Granja, represented as a pilgrim with his staff, stand out.

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