Capela de São Bento - Vila Do Conde

The construction of the chapel of São Bento was requested in 1616 by the widow Maria Vaía , the founder of the morgadio of São Bento and in accordance with her wishes and those of her husband, Manuel Barbosa de Sá , who died at the beginning of the same year.

Manuel Barbosa de Sá was captain of the Carreira da Índia and was buried in the Misericórdia church, from where he was transferred to the chapel of São Bento in 1621, the year it was completed.

On the facade, flanked by a narrow bell tower, you can see the quartered coat of arms of Barbosa e Sá above the main entrance, which consists of a round granite arch surmounted by capitals with the name of the founder and the date of construction: Maria Bahia, 1621. Between the two ornamental windows is a dedication to the patriarch Saint Benedict.

Inside, the main altar, in typical Portuguese Baroque style, and the tomb of the founders and their descendants stand out.

Willem Vandenameele