Chapel of Saint Ovídio

Category: Religious Architecture > Chapel

District: Viana do Castelo > Ponte de Lima > Sá

Location

The Chapel of Santo Ovídio stands in isolation atop the Monte de Santo Ovídeo, in the locality of Sá, municipality of Ponte de Lima. Situated in a profoundly rural environment, this location offers visitors a wide and stunning panoramic view over the surroundings and the winding valley of the Lima river. The space surrounding the chapel, partially delimited by a wall forming a churchyard, is part of an area with vestiges of an ancient fortified settlement, lending it an additional historical dimension.

Architecture and Atmosphere

This small place of worship features vernacular religious architecture, distinguished by its simplicity and integration into the landscape. With a longitudinal rectangular plan, its facades are built in whitewashed stonework, giving it a traditional and harmonious appearance. The main facade, which culminates in a straight gable crowned by a stone Latin cross, has a dropped lintel portal and a small quadrangular window that sparsely illuminates the interior. The overall appearance of the chapel, likely dating from the 19th or 20th centuries, reflects a stripped-down and authentic aesthetic, with its interior maintaining the sobriety of stone, centered around a small altar.

Devotion and Popular Traditions

The Chapel of Santo Ovídio is dedicated to a saint with a very particular attribution: Santo Ovídio is revered as the patron saint of ears. This unique devotion has given rise to a fascinating popular tradition. Inside the chapel, visitors can observe a collection of ex-votos, or votive offerings, many of them shaped like ears. These are left by faithful who seek the saint's intercession for the healing of hearing problems or as a gesture of gratitude for graces received, testifying to the deep faith and rooted beliefs in the local community.

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