Category: Religious Architecture > Church
District: Vila Real > Alijó > Alijó > Bairro Adriano Joaquim Machado
The Parish Church of Alijó, also known as the Church of Santa Maria Maior, stands in the heart of Alijó village's historic center, in the Adriano Joaquim Machado neighborhood. Located in a wide, cobblestone-paved square, its position stands out, adapting harmoniously to the uneven terrain.
The church's main facade is preceded by a semi-circular churchyard, delimited by an elegant iron railing set on a stone base. This ensemble, together with the village fountain and an imposing 32-meter-tall oriental plane tree located next to the rear facade, forms one of Alijó's most recognized and emblematic images.
This church presents a fusion of Baroque and Neoclassical styles, resulting from various interventions over the centuries. Its volume is marked by a single nave and a rectangular main chapel, slightly lower and narrower, with an attached sacristy. The facades are plastered and painted white, highlighted by granite pilasters at the corners and a molded cornice.
The main facade, dominated by the central bell tower, is particularly notable for its cladding in blue monochrome tiles on a white background, which add a distinctive touch. The main portal, with a lowered lintel, stands out for its superimposed cornice and the cutout cartouche, richly decorated with shell motifs and bat-wing elements, typical of rococo. The tower, with two registers and a stone clock, is crowned by pinnacles and a bulbous dome, contributing to the building's characteristic silhouette.
Inside the church, artistic richness unfolds through a profusion of carved wood and painting. The walls of the nave and main chapel are covered with the same blue and white monochrome tiles visible in some parts of the exterior, creating a coherent ambiance. The choir loft, supported by pillars, has a railing with wooden grilles, and along the nave, wooden confessionals are embedded in the walls.
The altarpieces are one of the interior's highlights. The main altarpiece, in late-Baroque carved wood, features a convex plan and three axes with smooth-shafted columns and Corinthian capitals, housing a throne and an image of the crucified Christ in the center. The four altarpieces of the nave, in polychrome and gilded carved wood of Neoclassical style, complement the grandeur of the space. The coverings in false barrel vaults, both in the nave and the main chapel, are adorned with paintings representing religious figures, such as angels, evangelists, and Marian scenes, lending a celestial atmosphere to the ensemble.
The history of the Church of Santa Maria Maior dates back to ancient times, with records indicating the existence of a parish in Alijó as early as the 8th century, soon after the Reconquista. The construction of the current church, in its essence, likely occurred in the 17th century, although it underwent a significant reform in the second half of the 18th century, a period during which the bell tower was added and its openings and decorations were enriched. The painting and gilding work of the main altarpiece, for example, was commissioned to the painter Bartolomeu de Mesquita in 1779.
More recently, between 1945 and 1950, the tiles that now cover parts of the building and the paintings on the interior ceilings were added. The site also holds particular historical significance for being the baptism place of the celebrated Bishop of Viseu, D. António Alves Martins. Outside the church, the oriental plane tree, planted in 1856 at the initiative of the Viscount of Ribeira de Alijó, bears witness to the passage of time and the continuity of life in the village.
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt
Coordinates DD: 41.2766926,-7.4742643
Coordinates DMS: 41°16'36.1"N 07°28'27.4"W
Weather Alijó
On-duty Pharmacy Alijó
