Vila Boa de Quires Church

Category: Religious Architecture > Church

District: Porto > Marco de Canaveses > Vila Boa de Quires > Penalva

Location

The Church of Vila Boa de Quires is located in the locality of Vila Boa de Quires, in the municipality of Marco de Canaveses. It stands in a rural and dispersed area, slightly elevated in relation to the public road, with a parvise that forms an artificial platform, supported by walls of apparent granite stonework. This setting offers a tranquil environment, where one can appreciate the structure of the temple and the landscape that extends over the Tâmega valley.

A Past of Centuries

The history of the Church of Vila Boa de Quires dates back to the 13th century, having been built as part of a monastic complex. Originally under the Benedictine Order, its function changed in the 14th century when it was secularized and converted into a parish church, a status it maintains to this day. Throughout the centuries, the temple underwent several interventions that shaped its current appearance. Its historical and artistic relevance was recognized with its classification as a National Monument in 1927, and its integration into the Romanesque Route underlines the importance of its legacy.

The Imposing Facade and Romanesque Details

The main facade of the church is one of its most notable and elaborate elements in the Baixo Tâmega region. Characterized by the robustness of its granite stonework, it features a broken arch portal with four archivolts, supported by eight columns with smooth or prismatic shafts. The capitals of these columns display rich ornamentation with symmetrical vegetal motifs, while the imposts of the tympanum are decorated with sculptures in the form of bovidae heads. Above the portal, a mullioned window, with its own small columns and sculpted capitals, complements the entrance composition. It is important to note that the facade was advanced by about ten meters in the 19th century, during the enlargement of the nave and the construction of the current bell tower.

Artistic Richness within

The interior of the Church of Vila Boa de Quires reveals a contrast with the sobriety of the granite exterior. The chancel, in particular, stands out for its artistic richness. On the walls, fragments of 17th-century tiles can be seen. The vault of the chancel and the triumphal arch preceding it are enriched by a set of 18th-century mural paintings, which narrate scenes from the Passion of Christ and culminate in a representation of the Crucifixion above the arch. At the main altar, a Neoclassical altarpiece houses a large canvas alluding to the Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament. On the exterior, on the right side facade, there are three arches that house medieval tombs, further testimonies to its long history.

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