Chapel of São Francisco de Paula / Chapel of Malheiras - Viana do Castelo

It is a noble rococo house, built in 1758 , with an irregular rectangular plan, consisting of a living area , with a perpendicular chapel at the right end and a kitchen area at the other end, and is one of the finest examples of Portuguese Baroque.

Both the chapel and the entire manor house attached to it were ordered to be built or reconstructed by Friar D. António do Desterro Malheiro Reimão, at that time Bishop of Rio de Janeiro , who placed it under the protection of Saint Francisco de Paula, to whom he was very devoted.

In addition to the elegant façade, which some authors consider the work of Nicolau Nasoni or his school, the interior of the chapel features a remarkable altarpiece in polychrome carving, according to Robert C. Smith one of the best examples of Minho carving in the Rococo style, attributed to André Soares.

Willem Vandenameele