Parish Church of Pegões

Category: Religious Architecture > Church

District: Setúbal > Montijo > Pegões

Location

The Pegões Parish Church, also known as the Church of Saint Isidore, stands on a plain in the municipality of Montijo, in the locality of Pegões. It is located within what was once the remarkable Pegões Agricultural Colony, a rural colonization project that marked the 20th century in Portugal. Its isolated location, at the end of a tree-lined avenue, suggests an environment of tranquility and connection to the surrounding agricultural landscape, an integral part of the planned urbanism for this former colony.

An Example of 20th Century Architecture

This temple is a landmark of modern Portuguese religious architecture, designed in the 20th century, between 1937 and 1938, by architect Eugénio Correia. The church stands out for its bold plastic expression, using concrete expressively and adopting predominantly geometric forms. The project reveals a functionalist language, but with a remarkable monumental sense, exploring the technical and artistic capabilities of the new materials and technologies of the time. Its irregularly articulated structure and volumes are a testament to the possibilities of concrete modeling.

Forms and Volumes

The church features a longitudinal plan and a singularly articulated composition of volumes. Externally, the horizontal arrangement of the masses stands out, erected on a wide platform with a staircase leading to the churchyard. The exterior roofs, in hyperbolic barrel and shell vaults, clad in plain brick, give the building a distinctive silhouette. The main facade is marked by a large hyperbolic arch framing the portal, while the slender bell tower, with a rectangular base and trapezoidal facades, rises on the right side, perforated by overlapping slits and a prominent cross at the top.

Interior Art and Symbolism

Upon crossing the entrance, the church's interior space reveals remarkable articulation and a sacred atmosphere. The height of the nave, with its barrel vault and hyperbolic arches, contrasts with the more telluric perception from the exterior. In the chancel, with a semicircular plan, there is a mural painting depicting a naturalistic rural landscape, with Christian symbolism, evoking the figure of Saint Isidore, the patron saint of agriculture. The main altar is further adorned by a triptych by artist Artur Bual, an abstract work with vibrant colors, enriching the temple's artistic heritage and highlighting its dedication to Our Lady of Fátima.

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