Category: Religious Architecture > Church
District: Vila Real > Sabrosa > Provesende > Quinta do Carvalhal
The Santa Marinha Chapel is located in Quinta do Carvalhal, in Provesende, Sabrosa municipality, nestled within the region's rural landscape. Situated at an altitude of 521 meters, this chapel enjoys a serene and isolated environment, slightly northeast of the village center. Its spacious churchyard, delimited by a shale wall topped with stonework, offers a peaceful space dotted with large trees. A walkway paved with shale masonry surrounds the entire chapel, inviting a calm stroll around it.
The Santa Marinha Chapel reveals a construction that harmonizes elements from different periods, with medieval vestiges and interventions from the 18th and 19th centuries. The main facade, facing west, stands out with its unique porch, supported by five granite stonework pillars, inviting contemplation before entry. The nave is topped by a gable, adorned with a frieze and cornice, and crowned by a granite Latin cross. The entrance portal, a perfect arch, and a barred window above the porch mark the most visible face of the chapel. The exterior walls, mostly plastered and painted white, contrast with the beauty of the exposed stonework on the main facade, highlighting its mixed structure of granite and shale.
Upon crossing the portal, the visitor encounters an interior with white walls and granite flooring, reflecting the natural light entering through the side windows. The varnished wooden ceilings lend a sense of warmth, featuring a trough-like shape in the nave and a curved profile in the chancel. The space includes a wooden choir loft, accessible by stairs. A pulpit, adorned with polychrome carving in shades of green, pink, and golden details, catches the eye with its voluted and phytomorphic elements. The narrower chancel houses a stone altarpiece with a glazed shrine protecting the image of dead Christ. Above it, a niche with a stone Latin cross is flanked by ornamented pilasters. Two side altarpieces, in pink and gold polychrome carving, with their neoclassical characteristics, flank the triumphal arch.
The history of the Santa Marinha Chapel is deeply rooted in time, with indications suggesting the existence of a primitive temple on this site as early as the 4th and 5th centuries. Over the centuries, this religious space underwent various transformations and reforms, which contributed to its current physiognomy. One of the most notable aspects of its past is found near the south side facade of the chancel, where two anthropomorphic graves can be observed, testaments to the ancient occupation and the historical importance of the place as a burial site. In the past, the chapel was an important center of devotion, where the ancient statue of Christ enshrouded, known as the Lord of Santa Marinha, was venerated. Local tradition indicates that, in times of water scarcity, farmers resorted to this image, carrying it in procession to the parish church, in a demonstration of popular faith in search of rain.
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt
Coordinates DD: 41.2296495,-7.5651806
Coordinates DMS: 41°13'46.7"N 07°33'54.7"W
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