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The Church of Vila Boa de Quires was built in the second quarter of the 13th century, as part of a monastic complex.
It seems to have been secularized already in the 14th century and was linked to the lineage of the Portocarreiros, with particular local and regional importance throughout the Middle Ages.
The main façade stands out as one of the most elaborate in the Baixo Tâmega, similar to the Church of Barrô (Resende).
The portal resembles the one in the Church of the Monastery of Paço de Sousa (Penafiel), featuring decorated capitals with symmetrical motifs of botanic nature. The corbels [salient support stones] feature the shape of bovine heads.
The entire façade was displaced in 1881 when the nave was expanded and the bell tower was added.
The interior contrasts with the sobriety of the façade and the detachment imposed by the granite ornaments. The most noticeable artistic differences may be found in the chancel.
The Neoclassical altarpiece [main altar] features a large canvas alluding to the Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
In the vault of the chancel, a set of 18th-century paintings narrate scenes of the Trial and Passion of Christ, whose journey ends in the mural painting on the triumphal arch, in the nave.
Type: Church
Classification: National Monument - 1927
Route: Tâmega Valley
11th century - Possible foundation of the cenoby of Vila Boa de Quires;
1118 - Reference to the monasterium que dicent Villa Bona de Queiriz;
1180 - Date supposedly found on an engraving discovered during the works that were carried out in 1881;
13th century - References to Vila Boa de Quires as a "couto" [place with privileges], to the "Honra" [territory] of Portocarreiro and to the "Honra" [territory] of Buriz;
13th century (2nd quarter or mid-century) - Construction of the existing Romanesque building of Vila Boa de Quires;
1320 - The Church of Vila Boa de Quires is secularized;
1536 - Vila Boa Quires becomes a Commendation of the House of Bragança;
17th century (1st half) - Tiling campaign in the chancel;
1706 - The Commander of Vila Boa de Quires was earning 600 thousand réis [former Portuguese currency unit], adding up to the income from the parish of Rande, Penafiel;
18th century (2nd half) - Painting campaign on the chancel's vault;
19th century (last quarter) - Replacement of the main altarpiece, with a Baroque matrix, with the existing Neoclassical one;
1881 - Expansion of the Church: shifting of the main façade nearly 10 meters to the west; construction of the tower; preservation and restoration of the altarpieces;
1927 - Classification of the Church of Vila Boa de Quires as a National Monument;
1940-1970 - Implementation of several conservation works, paying a special attention to the Church's roofs;
1947 - Installation of the clock on the bell tower;
1977 - Removal of the plaster from the naves and ceiling;
1999 - Improvement works on the Church's roofs;
2010 - Integration of the Church of Saint Andrew of Vila Boa de Quires in the Route of the Romanesque;
2013 - Works for the general conservation of the Church, mostly at the levels of the roofs and external walls, under the scope of the Route of the Romanesque.
Saint Andrew - 30th November
By appointment
Saturday - 4 pm; Sunday - 9 am
Monument fully or partly accessible to visitors with reduced mobility.
+351 255 810 706
+351 918 116 488
visitasrr@valsousa.pt
