Church of the Saviour of Unhão

The Church of the Saviour of Unhão is an excellent example of Portuguese Romanesque architecture and sculpture, highlighting the main portal with its botanic decorated capitals.

Despite the transformations it has undergone throughout the years, the inscription that marks the Dedication of the Church [consecration and beginning of services at the church] on 28th January 1165, celebrated by the archbishop of Braga, D. João Peculiar, has been preserved.

The reference to "Magister Sisaldis" and the existence of a series of initials (marks of the mason) with a big “S” seem to indicate the name of the master artisan who oversaw the work, a rare element in the panorama of Portuguese Romanesque architecture.

The Church of Unhão maintains its Romanesque nave, built in the first half of the 13th century. Inside, the image of Our Lady of the Milk, a sculpture in polychromatic limestone of unknown origin, stands out.

The absence of movement in the image, the size of the head and hands and her fixed, blank stare suggest that this is a Romanesque sculpture.

However, the fact that the Son is represented as a child, naked and gazing at the Madonna, is a feature more common of the Gothic style.

Type: Church

Classification: Public Interest Building – 1950

Route: Sousa Valley

1165 - Consecration of the Church;

12th-13th centuries (first half) - Construction of the Church;

17th-18th centuries - Reconstruction of the chancel, sacristy and bell tower, placing altars, glazed tiling;

19th century - Placing the nave’s altars;

1968 - Repair and conservation works;

1988 - Repairing covers, exterior maintenance and general improvement;

1989 - Paving the chancel and the exteriors;

1991 - Exterior draining, consolidation works;

1993 - Cover repairs;

1994 - Fixing inner and outer batters, preserving the large windows;

1997 - General conservation and maintenance of the batters;

1998 - The Church of the Saviour of Unhão is included in the Route of the Romanesque of Vale do Sousa;

1999 - Installation of the bell and electrical clock;

2002 - Restoration works in the choir;

2004 - Conservation and restoration of the altarpiece in the chancel. Archaeological monitoring of the works for the installation of the wiring underground in the street facing the churchyard, with no impact being identified;

2005 - Works of conservation in the ceiling of the nave, the pulpit and tile flooring, general conservation of covers, batters, span and exterior decoration, carried out under the Route of the Romanesque of Vale do Sousa;

2012 - Works for the general conservation of the Church, mostly at the levels of the roofs, external walls and churchyard, under the scope of the Route of the Romanesque.

Divine Saviour - 6th August

By appointment

Saturday - 7 pm; Sunday - 8 am

Monument not accessible to visitors with reduced mobility.

+351 255 810 706

+351 918 116 488

visitasrr@valsousa.pt

Church of the Saviour of Unhão

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Church of the Saviour of Unhão

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