Category: Religious Architecture > Church
District: Vila Real > Chaves > São Julião de Montenegro > Eiras, São Julião de Montenegro e Cela
Situated in the heart of São Julião de Montenegro, in the municipality of Chaves, this parish church stands on a slightly elevated churchyard, giving it a notable presence in the center of the village. Its central position allows for immersion in the tranquility of the rural Transmontano environment, harmoniously fitting into the local urban landscape.
The Church of São Julião is a notable example of Romanesque religious architecture, with its origins hypothetically dating back to the 13th century. Despite subsequent interventions, the temple's structure retains distinctive features from this period, showing a connection to the Romanesque style of Ourense through the particularity of its sculptural elements. The predominance of granite masonry is observed, a material that gives the construction solidity and an authentic appearance.
Exploring the church, its longitudinal composition stands out, divided into three volumes: a rectangular nave, a narrower and lower chancel, and a sacristy attached to the south flank. Although the main facade was modernized in 1855, the interior and side facades reveal the original richness. The corbels of the nave and chancel, for example, display a diversity of decorations, including zoomorphic and anthropomorphic figures, which deserve close attention. Inside, the broken-arch triumphal arch captures attention with its half-columns adorned with large-scale animal sculpture capitals and decorative friezes. The walls also hold traces of frescoes, some of which depict Saint Anthony, which once covered much of the space.
The history of the Church of São Julião de Montenegro is rich and multifaceted, marked by different periods of construction and remodeling. Beyond its architecture, the site reveals deeper layers of the past. During intervention works, an arcosolium was discovered in the south wall of the nave, which houses a tomb lid with the cross of Christ, an element found in the churchyard. Even more surprisingly, a Roman milestone was found under the main altar, highlighting the antiquity and importance of the site since time immemorial. Elements of the church's original Romanesque portal are currently safeguarded in the Chaves Municipal Museum, allowing for the preservation and study of its primitive beauty.
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt
Coordinates DD: 41.7165633,-7.3946296
Coordinates DMS: 41°42'59.6"N 07°23'40.7"W
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