- Initiated 1882 Owner Portugal Materials Plaster, Masonry, Tile | Elevation 89 m Municipality Lagoa, Algarve | |
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Address R. do Correio 12, 8400-498 Porches, Portugal Similar Church of São Tiago, Church of Nossa Senhora, Praia do Paraíso, Convent of São José - Lagoa, Fort of São João do Arade | ||
The Church of Nossa Senhora da Encarnação, the parochial Church of Porches, is situated in the civil parish of Porches, in the municipality of Lagoa in Portuguese Algarve.
Contents
History
Founded in the 16th century, the church retains a few vestiges of its early history. Only the chancel remains of the original church, which was later ruined by the 1755 earthquake.
It was sometime during the 18th century that azulejo tile was installed in the main nave.
A portion of the older temple was incorporated into the structure of the modern church, although remodeling in 1882 transformed the character of the present building.
Architecture
The exterior is an example of southern Portuguese church architecture with a somber facade. The principal facade is oriented towards the west, with a triptych portico aligned on either side by a square annexes, surmounted by royal crown.
The interior is notable for the chancel, dedicated to Our Lady of the Incarnation, with ribbed vaulting, and faced with tiles from the 17th century; and an 18th-century altar-piece of gilded carved wood with several images. The vaulted-ceiling within the presbytery is decorated in azulejo tile, while the chancel is gilded in gold.
More recently, the Irish artist, Patrick Swift, designed the stations of the cross for the church, and was later buried in the local cemetery following his death.