Saint Julian's Mother Church

Category: Religious Architecture > Church

District: Setúbal > Setúbal > Setúbal > Centro Histórico

Location

The Mother Church of São Julião is located in the heart of Setúbal's Historic Centre, occupying a central position in Bocage Square. Its location allows visitors to Setúbal to easily recognize it as one of the most significant buildings in the square, integrating into the city's vibrant urban fabric.

History and Evolution

The roots of the Church of São Julião date back to the second half of the 13th century, traditionally linked to Setúbal's fishing community. Over the centuries, the building witnessed and suffered the effects of several earthquakes, which dictated successive campaigns of reconstruction and alteration of its original design. King Manuel I, in the early 16th century, was one of the driving forces behind a major reconstruction work, which included the participation of notable masters such as João de Castilho and João Favacho.

The earthquakes of 1531 and, especially, that of 1755, caused significant damage, leading to new interventions that shaped the church into its current appearance. Its resilience and the way each era left its mark are distinctive elements of its long history, reflecting the adaptation and continuity of religious and communal life in Setúbal.

Artistic and Architectural Details

The church is a mosaic of styles reflecting its various constructive phases. From the Manueline reconstruction, in the early 16th century, its remarkable exterior portals remain: the main portal, facing west, and the north lateral portal, the latter particularly beautiful, with its twisted columns evoking ropes and vegetal elements, in addition to trilobed arches. They are testaments to the decorative richness of Portuguese Late Gothic.

Inside, the space is divided into three naves. The walls, especially those of the naves and the chancel, are richly covered with tile panels, dating from around 1790. These tiles, with their polychrome Rococo frames and marbled plinth, narrate episodes from the lives of Saint Julian and Saint Basilissa, offering an engaging visual color and narrative. Also noteworthy is the presence of an old panel painting attributed to Gregório Lopes, "Creation of Adam", a remnant of a Manueline altarpiece, and the altarpiece painting, by Pedro Alexandrino de Carvalho, which lends grandeur to the sacred space.

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