Category: Religious Architecture > Church
District: Santarém > Santarém > Santarém > Alfange
Located in the historic center of Santarém, in the locality of Marvila, near the old Largo da Praça Nova.
Dating back to the period of the Christian reconquest, it was one of the most important churches in the old town. It has been classified as a National Monument since 1917.
Probably built over an ancient Islamic mosque, it was donated to the Order of the Templars by D. Afonso Henriques. Over the centuries, it underwent various reconstructions and reforms that gave it Gothic, Manueline, Renaissance, and Baroque characteristics.
It combines various artistic currents, with emphasis on the richly decorated Manueline portal, the wide naves supported by Ionic columns, and the chancel with a poly-ribbed vault decorated with symbols such as the armillary sphere and the cross of Christ.
Known as the "Cathedral of Azulejo", the interior is covered with over 65,000 17th-century tiles, forming one of the largest ceramic collections of the period in Portugal. It includes polychrome patterns and scenes alluding to the Marian litany.
It includes an 18th-century marble pulpit, Manueline holy water fonts, and prominent paintings, such as The Assumption of the Virgin, from 1829, which replaces the altarpiece lost during the French Invasions.
It features a painted wooden ceiling and a Manueline door with lozenges. It also houses a rare Indo-Portuguese ivory image of Christ.
A unique opportunity to appreciate history, art, and spirituality in a space that bears witness to centuries of cultural and artistic transformations in Portugal.
Sources: https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igreja_de_Santa_Maria_de_Marvila
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt
Coordinates DD: 39.23518020543364,-8.681537885586039
Coordinates DMS: 39°14'6.6"N 08°40'53.5"W
Weather Santarém
On-duty Pharmacy Santarém
