Category: Religious Architecture > Church
District: Viseu > Castro Daire > Parada de Ester > Parada de Ester e Ester
The Parada Parish Church stands in Parada de Ester, a locality within the municipality of Castro Daire, in the district of Viseu. Located halfway up a slope, the church is isolated in its walled churchyard, next to the public road. Its position offers a serene visual setting within an area of significant landscape interest in the region.
The presence of the Parada Parish Church in historical records dates back, at least, to the year 1258, when it was already mentioned in the Inquiries and belonged to the royal patronage. Over the centuries, it maintained its importance, becoming part of the territory of the Diocese of Lamego in the 16th century.
The structure of the building observed today, in Mannerist and Baroque style, was likely built in the 17th century. Testifying to the artistic vitality of the period is the contribution of figures like Manuel Correia Monteiro, who in 1761 executed carving works, the ceiling lining, and the choir loft, with the help of carpenters José Simões and Silvestre Simões, at the initiative of the abbot at the time.
The church is distinguished by its religious architecture, combining Mannerist and Baroque elements. The main facade, facing west, features a central bell tower rising in two registers, culminating in pinnacles and a spire. The entrance is marked by a small galilee with a lowered arch, surmounted by a central oculus, creating an interesting play of volumes.
The side elevations are characterized by pilasters and windows with curved frames, while the sacristy and baptistery, with their different planes and volumes, add complexity to the exterior composition of the building. Granite, the predominant material, lends it robustness and integration with the local landscape.
Inside the single-nave church, a more subdued light invites a careful observation of its details. The coffered wooden ceiling is one of its greatest attractions, adorned with paintings of saints and hagiographic motifs, creating a celestial vault.
The main and side altarpieces are true expressions of Baroque art, displaying rich, polychrome, and gilded carving that reflects the mastery of the artisans who worked on them. The triumphal arch, centrally placed and also polychrome, marks the transition to the chancel.
Also noteworthy are the choir loft, in polychrome wood with its balustrade balcony, and a unique historical element: the nave's wooden floor, where discrete, sequentially numbered graves framed by granite profiles can be found, a vestige of past times that refers to the practice of burial inside temples.
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.pt
Coordinates DD: 40.931912,-8.0558861
Coordinates DMS: 40°55'54.9"N 08°03'21.2"W
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