Versão portuguesa aqui.

GPS 41.55201061347149, -8.428579079852746

The Pópulo Church is located in Praça Conde de Agrolongo, in the parish of Braga (São José de São Lázaro and São João do Souto), city and municipality of Braga, district of the same name, in Portugal, integrating the Convent of Pópulo.

The invocation (lat: Sanctae Mariae de Populo) comes from the Church of Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome (of great importance for the Order of St. Jesus had a lot of devotion).

The Church and Convent of Pópulo have been classified as a Property of Public Interest since 1977.

History

The temple was started in 1596 on the initiative of the then archbishop of Braga, D. Friar Agostinho de Jesus (de Castro). The construction of the entire set dragged on from the 16th to the 19th century.

Much of the building (including the façade) was rebuilt at the end of the 18th century with a project by architect Carlos Amarante.

With the extinction of the male religious orders (1834), the complex passed into the hands of the State, with the convent's dependencies, from 1841 onwards, hosting an Infantry Regiment.

Since 1996, the convent's premises have been one of the buildings of the Municipality of Braga. Guided tours are promoted, especially to appreciate the tile covering.

In 2020 and 2021, the church underwent works, which involved an investment of around 996,628.70 euros, with the objective of recovering and enhancing the church. The church had severe conservation conditions, requiring a major intervention in terms of the roofs, towers, facades, floors, ceilings, window frames, high choir balustrade, organ box, among others.

Chronology

• 1595 - Donation and dowry to the hermit friars of Santo Agostinho, for the construction of the Convent of Pópulo, by Archbishop D. Friar Agostinho de Jesus;

• 1596 - acceptance by the Province of the new Monastery and College with its obligations; beginning of construction;

• 1597 - Provision for the union of the Church of São Paio de Pousada;

• 1601 - Provision for the union of the Church of São João de Semelhe;

• 1609, November - death of Archbishop Friar Agostinho de Jesus, buried in the old church of Pópulo;

• 1621, mid - the body of Archbishop D. Friar Aleixo de Menezes, provisionally buried in the Convent of São Filipe, in Madrid, since he died there, in 1617, was transferred to the chancel of the church of Pópulo;

• 1628 - according to the dispositions of his last wishes, the body of Archbishop Friar Agostinho de Jesus was transferred to a wooden tomb ordered by the city of Braga and placed in an arcosolium, in the main chapel of the new church of Pópulo;

• 1630 - execution of the altarpiece of São Nicolau, by the assembler Ambrósio Pereira;

• 1647 - founding of the chapel of Salvador de Magalhães Machado, on the Gospel side, corresponding to the chapel of the Santíssima Trindade;

• 1682 - execution of the altarpiece of the Brotherhood of Santos Passos by the carver Damião da Costa Figueiredo;

• 1697 - the assembler Cristóvão Rodrigues is hired to make the choir grid;

• 1701 - Friar José de Azevedo, rector of the College of Nossa Senhora do Pópulo, contracts with Agostinho Marques to make communion railings in blackwood and replace the choir railing;

• 1706 - Pascoal Fernandes and Manuel Fernandes da Silva, together with the rector of the Colégio de Nossa Senhora do Pópulo, undertake to build a cloister next to the bedrooms "in the shape and size that shows the plan and profile with its petipe that again became larger than the old one that there was";

• 1708 - João Alves, Bento Correia and Pedro Francisco, stone masters from the city of Braga, are hired by the Convent of Pópulo to make the flagstone of the sacristy; July - contract for carpentry works in the cloister;

Versão portuguesa aqui.

GPS 41.55201061347149, -8.428579079852746

The Pópulo Church is located in Praça Conde de Agrolongo, in the parish of Braga (São José de São Lázaro and São João do Souto), city and municipality of Braga, district of the same name, in Portugal, integrating the Convent of Pópulo.

The invocation (lat: Sanctae Mariae de Populo) comes from the Church of Santa Maria del Popolo in Rome (of great importance for the Order of St. Jesus had a lot of devotion).

The Church and Convent of Pópulo have been classified as a Property of Public Interest since 1977.

History

The temple was started in 1596 on the initiative of the then archbishop of Braga, D. Friar Agostinho de Jesus (de Castro). The construction of the entire set dragged on from the 16th to the 19th century.

Much of the building (including the façade) was rebuilt at the end of the 18th century with a project by architect Carlos Amarante.

With the extinction of the male religious orders (1834), the complex passed into the hands of the State, with the convent's dependencies, from 1841 onwards, hosting an Infantry Regiment.

Since 1996, the convent's premises have been one of the buildings of the Municipality of Braga. Guided tours are promoted, especially to appreciate the tile covering.

In 2020 and 2021, the church underwent works, which involved an investment of around 996,628.70 euros, with the objective of recovering and enhancing the church. The church had severe conservation conditions, requiring a major intervention in terms of the roofs, towers, facades, floors, ceilings, window frames, high choir balustrade, organ box, among others.

Chronology

• 1595 - Donation and dowry to the hermit friars of Santo Agostinho, for the construction of the Convent of Pópulo, by Archbishop D. Friar Agostinho de Jesus;

• 1596 - acceptance by the Province of the new Monastery and College with its obligations; beginning of construction;

• 1597 - Provision for the union of the Church of São Paio de Pousada;

• 1601 - Provision for the union of the Church of São João de Semelhe;

• 1609, November - death of Archbishop Friar Agostinho de Jesus, buried in the old church of Pópulo;

• 1621, mid - the body of Archbishop D. Friar Aleixo de Menezes, provisionally buried in the Convent of São Filipe, in Madrid, since he died there, in 1617, was transferred to the chancel of the church of Pópulo;

• 1628 - according to the dispositions of his last wishes, the body of Archbishop Friar Agostinho de Jesus was transferred to a wooden tomb ordered by the city of Braga and placed in an arcosolium, in the main chapel of the new church of Pópulo;

• 1630 - execution of the altarpiece of São Nicolau, by the assembler Ambrósio Pereira;

• 1647 - founding of the chapel of Salvador de Magalhães Machado, on the Gospel side, corresponding to the chapel of the Santíssima Trindade;

• 1682 - execution of the altarpiece of the Brotherhood of Santos Passos by the carver Damião da Costa Figueiredo;

• 1697 - the assembler Cristóvão Rodrigues is hired to make the choir grid;

• 1701 - Friar José de Azevedo, rector of the College of Nossa Senhora do Pópulo, contracts with Agostinho Marques to make communion railings in blackwood and replace the choir railing;

• 1706 - Pascoal Fernandes and Manuel Fernandes da Silva, together with the rector of the Colégio de Nossa Senhora do Pópulo, undertake to build a cloister next to the bedrooms "in the shape and size that shows the plan and profile with its petipe that again became larger than the old one that there was";

• 1708 - João Alves, Bento Correia and Pedro Francisco, stone masters from the city of Braga, are hired by the Convent of Pópulo to make the flagstone of the sacristy; July - contract for carpentry works in the cloister;