Category: Religious Architecture > Church
District: Vila Real > Vila Pouca de Aguiar > Soutelo de Aguiar > Fontes
Located on the northern edge of the village of Soutelo de Aguiar, in Vila Pouca de Aguiar, the Church of São Tiago stands out due to its position. It is situated in a churchyard that is slightly below the level of the surrounding street, creating a welcoming space. The churchyard is delimited by a wall, which on its front part, is plastered and painted white, contrasting with a stone coping. The side access to the churchyard is flanked by pyramidal pinnacles, inviting approach.
The church is an example of 17th and 18th-century religious architecture. It features a rectangular plan, composed of a nave and a chancel. On its left side facade, a quadrangular bell tower and a rectangular sacristy are adjoined. The building volumes are staggered, with gabled roofs on the church and a single-pitched roof on the sacristy, all with simple eaves. The bell tower is crowned by a pyramidal spire, built of stonework, which rises and displays a circular clock.
The church facades are plastered and painted white, highlighted by pilastered quoins. These are adorned with pinnacles atop acroteria, finished with a frieze and cornice. The main facade, facing west, culminates in a gable surmounted by a Latin cross. It is on this face that the portal opens, with a straight lintel and a simple frame, and a small quadrilobed and framed oculus, elements that contribute to the temple's exterior aesthetic.
The history of Soutelo de Aguiar dates back at least to 1091, when a document already referred to the toponym, indicating that the locality was one of the first parishes in the medieval region of Aguiar da Pena. The construction of the current parish church, dedicated to São Tiago, was likely completed during the 17th century.
Parish records document the community's life since the beginning of the 17th century, with the first baptism record dating from 1607. Information from 1758, collected by rector Baltazar Gomes Pereira in the 'Memórias Paroquiais' (Parish Memories), describes the church as contiguous to the village, possessing a nave and three altars: the main altar and two collateral altars, where images of Our Lady of the Rosary, Saint Sebastian, and Saint Anthony were venerated. There was also a brotherhood dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary, reflecting the importance of religious and social life in the parish throughout the centuries.
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt
Coordinates DD: 41.4783472,-7.665795
Coordinates DMS: 41°28'42.0"N 07°39'56.9"W
Weather Soutelo de Aguiar
On-duty Pharmacy Soutelo de Aguiar
