Versão portuguesa aqui.

GPS 37.723560435555285, -8.781900335388723

The Church of Nossa Senhora da Graça, also called Mother Church or Parish Church of Vila Nova de Milfontes, is a religious monument in the town of Vila Nova de Milfontes, in the municipality of Odemira, in the Alentejo region, in Portugal.

Description

The building is located in Largo da Igreja, in Vila Nova de Milfontes. It is the starting point of a river procession, which is regularly organized in mid-August.

It presents a miscellany of styles, due to the various reconstruction and expansion campaigns it has undergone since the end of the medieval period. The bell tower, the high altar arch and the main façade stand out. It follows a model common to churches of secondary importance or built in smaller towns, consisting of a nave and a chancel, sacristy and other dependencies. It presents a very sober appearance, with few decorative elements, thus being an example of the combination of popular architecture with the so-called ground style, also having some traces of Rococo influence. The presence of these two styles, which were applied very late, can be explained by a certain isolation of the region, which perpetuated archaic models to the detriment of new influences, such as neoclassicism.

The building has a longitudinal plan, which is formed by the nave and a chancel, a baptistery, the sacristy, a bell tower and other dependencies. The volumes have different roofs, with a gabled roof over the nave, while the bell tower ends in a stepped dome, with urns in the corners. The main façade is divided into three panels, delimited by corners and pilasters, the central one topped by a multi-lobed gable, thus revealing the Rococo influence on a model that was generally applied to the façades that were rebuilt or restored after the earthquake of 1755. This solution was also applied to the top of the bell tower, demonstrating the continuation of these trends after the transition to the 19th century. The main portal has a straight lintel and has a stonework frame, surmounted by a medallion with the cross of the Order of Santiago da Espada, which may have belonged to the medieval church. Above this element there is an oval-shaped oculus, with glass bricks. The right panel works as a base for the bell tower, with a single panel flanked by cornerstones and topped by a cornice, where the clock face is located.

Access to the nave is via a screen overlapped by the high choir, the nave being covered with a wooden ceiling, while the walls are partially covered with polychrome tiles, in blue, yellow and white tones. Inside, the holy water font also stands out, in the Gothic style, with a polylobed configuration and decorated in the form of acanthus leaves, which could also be a surviving element of the medieval structure. On the Gospel side, there is access to the baptistery, through a round arch on pilasters, and then a side chapel, also circumscribed in a round arch, with a barrel vault, and an altar table on four balusters. and corbel in stonework. The baptistery is also covered in a barrel vault, and has a baptismal font in stonework, circular in shape and a balustriform foot on a cubic plinth, also worth mentioning is the niche for the holy oils, and a panel of tiles depicting the Baptism of Christ . On the Epistle side is the door to the sacristy, in a round arch. The trumpet arch is also round, and features a stonework frame with a projecting key, supported by pilasters, and a stonework corbel on each side. At the bottom there is a crucifix surmounted by a circular oculus, while on the right side there is a niche for the tabernacle.

History

It follows a primitive temple that was built during the Middle Ages, or at the end of the 15th century, a period to which a font of holy water belongs inside. It was rebuilt at the beginning of the 16th century, having been part of the Order of Santiago da Espada. It was damaged by earthquakes in 1531, and later destroyed by Islamic pirates. It was only slightly affected by the 1755 earthquake, whose damage had already been repaired in 1758. The bell tower was built in the early 19th century, when the façade was also renovated. In the middle of the 20th century, it underwent major restoration works, during which the chancel was replaced, and elements of the sacristy and high choir were installed.

Versão portuguesa aqui.

GPS 37.723560435555285, -8.781900335388723

The Church of Nossa Senhora da Graça, also called Mother Church or Parish Church of Vila Nova de Milfontes, is a religious monument in the town of Vila Nova de Milfontes, in the municipality of Odemira, in the Alentejo region, in Portugal.

Description

The building is located in Largo da Igreja, in Vila Nova de Milfontes. It is the starting point of a river procession, which is regularly organized in mid-August.

It presents a miscellany of styles, due to the various reconstruction and expansion campaigns it has undergone since the end of the medieval period. The bell tower, the high altar arch and the main façade stand out. It follows a model common to churches of secondary importance or built in smaller towns, consisting of a nave and a chancel, sacristy and other dependencies. It presents a very sober appearance, with few decorative elements, thus being an example of the combination of popular architecture with the so-called ground style, also having some traces of Rococo influence. The presence of these two styles, which were applied very late, can be explained by a certain isolation of the region, which perpetuated archaic models to the detriment of new influences, such as neoclassicism.

The building has a longitudinal plan, which is formed by the nave and a chancel, a baptistery, the sacristy, a bell tower and other dependencies. The volumes have different roofs, with a gabled roof over the nave, while the bell tower ends in a stepped dome, with urns in the corners. The main façade is divided into three panels, delimited by corners and pilasters, the central one topped by a multi-lobed gable, thus revealing the Rococo influence on a model that was generally applied to the façades that were rebuilt or restored after the earthquake of 1755. This solution was also applied to the top of the bell tower, demonstrating the continuation of these trends after the transition to the 19th century. The main portal has a straight lintel and has a stonework frame, surmounted by a medallion with the cross of the Order of Santiago da Espada, which may have belonged to the medieval church. Above this element there is an oval-shaped oculus, with glass bricks. The right panel works as a base for the bell tower, with a single panel flanked by cornerstones and topped by a cornice, where the clock face is located.

Access to the nave is via a screen overlapped by the high choir, the nave being covered with a wooden ceiling, while the walls are partially covered with polychrome tiles, in blue, yellow and white tones. Inside, the holy water font also stands out, in the Gothic style, with a polylobed configuration and decorated in the form of acanthus leaves, which could also be a surviving element of the medieval structure. On the Gospel side, there is access to the baptistery, through a round arch on pilasters, and then a side chapel, also circumscribed in a round arch, with a barrel vault, and an altar table on four balusters. and corbel in stonework. The baptistery is also covered in a barrel vault, and has a baptismal font in stonework, circular in shape and a balustriform foot on a cubic plinth, also worth mentioning is the niche for the holy oils, and a panel of tiles depicting the Baptism of Christ . On the Epistle side is the door to the sacristy, in a round arch. The trumpet arch is also round, and features a stonework frame with a projecting key, supported by pilasters, and a stonework corbel on each side. At the bottom there is a crucifix surmounted by a circular oculus, while on the right side there is a niche for the tabernacle.

History

It follows a primitive temple that was built during the Middle Ages, or at the end of the 15th century, a period to which a font of holy water belongs inside. It was rebuilt at the beginning of the 16th century, having been part of the Order of Santiago da Espada. It was damaged by earthquakes in 1531, and later destroyed by Islamic pirates. It was only slightly affected by the 1755 earthquake, whose damage had already been repaired in 1758. The bell tower was built in the early 19th century, when the façade was also renovated. In the middle of the 20th century, it underwent major restoration works, during which the chancel was replaced, and elements of the sacristy and high choir were installed.