Igreja de São João de Deus Chaves

Igreja de São João de Deus, Chaves

The 18th century Igreja de São João de Deus (aka Igreja de Madalena or the Royal Chapel of São João de Deus) is on the left bank of the Ponte Trajano (Trajan Bridge) in Chaves.

History

Designed by the military engineer, Colonel Tomé de Távora e Abreu, the construction of the church was financed by Dona Maria Anna of Austria, the Hapsburg wife of the Portuguese king D. João V (1689-1750), whose Royal Arms appear on the façade.

The church was built as a chapel to the military hospital that stood next door.

The reign of D. João V was a period of increased wealth in Portugal due to the riches shipped to the country from its possessions in Brazil. The monumental Neoclassical and Baroque palace in Mafra is the best example of the money spent on extravagant building projects at this time.

The octagonal Igreja de Madalena was constructed between 1720 and 1750 in the ornate, Baroque style fashionable at that time.

The church has an impressive domed ceiling which serves as a kind of lantern to illuminate the interior and a bell tower containing three bells.

On the dissolution of the religious orders in Portugal in 1834 the church was abandoned and used for storing hay. It was not until 1874 that mass was once more celebrated in the Igreja de Madalena.

Walking along the banks of the River Tâmega on the other side of the bridge in a north east direction will bring the visitor to the Museum of Contemporary Art Nadir Afonso.