Church of Santa Maria de Almacave - Lamego

The Church of Santa Maria de Almacave in the town of Lamego is a 12th-century Portuguese Romanesque monument that was later remodeled in the 17th century, undermining part of its original austere Romanesque volume.

In 1988 the temple fell victim to a violent fire , which resulted in the loss or destruction of some of the contents of the interior, namely a number of altarpieces and a number of works of movable art.

The main façade of the church, built entirely of granite , has a Romanesque portal consisting of four archivolts - slightly pointed, the outer ones decorated with a geometric band with a diamond pattern - resting on capitalized columns. On the right side of the façade rises the robust, four-storey bell tower from the fourth century, crowned by a double wing.

On the outside, the highlight is the entrance on the right , which opens onto a Romanesque portal with a double archivolt, the outer one decorated with a chequered band motif. The walls are covered with polychrome tiles with 17th-century patterns. The pulpit dates from the early 17th century and has a balanced work with classical lines.

Of the various altars in this temple, the highlight is the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the Gospel side. It has an 18th-century Baroque altarpiece composition, in gilded woodcarving. On the predella are two 17th-century painted panels depicting Saint Joseph with the Child and Saint Francis Xavier. On the other side, in the Epistle, is the altar of Our Lady of Victories. This gilded woodcarving altarpiece is a Baroque work from the mid-18th century, with the front of the altar full of Marian symbolism, while the predella shows two 17th-century painted panels referring to Saint Apollonia and Saint Lucy. In the central dressing room, supported by a gilded carved corbel, is a statue of Our Lady of Victories with the Child and a depiction of a defeated Turk kneeling at her feet.

The choir has a wooden cradle roof. On the side is an 18th century baroque armchair of the collegiate priests of St Mary of Almacave. On the side of the gospel is a Joanine credence from the first half of the 18th century. The main altarpiece is a large composition in gilded woodcarving from the early 1700s , which is part of the so-called National Style. The decorated tabernacle is surmounted by a corbel, on which rests the image of the patron saint of Almacave.

Willem Vandenameele