Santa Cruz Church - Lamego On Santa Cruz Church - Lamego

It is one of the largest churches in Lamego and belonged to the monastery of the same name .

The Monastery of Santa Cruz was founded in 1595 by the Lamecense with the aim of donating it to the monks of Lóios, who after 1438 left the Monastery of Recião, which in the first half of the 15th century had suffered from ruins and decay. With the extinction of the religious orders, Misericórdia tried to establish its hospital here, but it ended up serving as a barracks and has maintained this military vocation to this day with the Special Operations Troops Center (CTOE).

Work on the monastery complex began in 1596.

The facade of the church, squeezed between two powerful bell towers, does not show any particular beauty, but the large interior, with a single nave, deserves a visit for the beautiful gold-carved work that adorns the side chapels , and a special stop is worth making at the Sagrada Família , where ceramic panels tell of the dream of St. Joseph and the wedding of the Virgin.

In the transept you can "read" it on the beautiful 17th century tiles that do not miss the covering, stories about the lives of Saint Anthony of Lisbon and Saint Benedict of Murcia and in the main chapel, placed a century later, scenes from the Apocalypse next to others from profane life (palace gardens, fountains and figures).

Willem Vandenameele