Trás-os-montes Tourism GuideChaves Archive » Trás-os-montes Tourism Guide

Church of São João de Deus, in Chaves

tourist — Sat, 04 Apr 2015 16:47:00 +0000

This church dates from the eighteenth century, and was built during the reign of King João V, its patron and supporter, whose coat of arms is included in the doorway. At first it was a church adjoining a military hospital supported by the brothers of São João de Deus, and which contained a Theatre of Surgery and Anatomy during the reign of Queen Maria I. Situated on the left bank of the Tâmega, it has an octagonal nave, with Baroque and Neo-Classic construction elements.

Church of A Misericórdia, in Chaves

tourist — Sat, 04 Apr 2015 16:36:36 +0000

Dating from the end of the seventeenth century, it was built in Baroque style with Renaissance elements. It is said that this was the chapel of the palace of the Dukes of Bragança. Its single nave is covered with decorated tiles from the eighteenth century, showing biblical scenes and motifs. Other important features are its main altar and a painting from 1743 on the wooden ceiling, showing a scene from the Visitation.

Mother Church of Santa Maria Maior, in Chaves

tourist — Sat, 04 Apr 2015 16:32:20 +0000

Romanesque in origin, the church is thought to have been built over a Roman temple in the time of Bishop Idacio. The first historical reference to the church dates from 1259, with the tower and porch from this period still standing. It was restored during the reign of João III (in the sixteenth century), based on Renaissance models from the time, and then underwent new reforms in the eighteenth century. Its interior contains three naves, supported by thick columns covered with a roof made of chestnut wood.

A dome covers the main altar, and a lantern stands over the Chapel of the Most Holy. In a small square to one side of the church is a pelourinho or pillory in Manueline style, where justice was administered in mediaeval times.

It was during the Roman period, one of the most important urban centers of the peninsula, and the records of the time of suevas invasions, said the city as the seat of a Christian bishopric. The existing temple would have been partially destroyed, having the time of Arab occupation, saying the extinction of the diocese.

The documentary references to the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore appear fixed in the Inquiries Afonsinas of 1259. The Romanesque temple have possibly been built in the twelfth century, on another of Visigothic origin. Still standing bell tower and its portal of the medieval structure.

A major renovation were made to the temple during the reign of King John III, to integrate the Romanesque structure, two portals and the Renaissance style.

Lines clearly inspired by Italian architecture, with a perfect arch and flanked by small columns is inserted into the triangular pediment shot.

The lateral portal, is assigned to the mason, sculptor John Noble. The decor is full of grutesco reasons, having carved in the upper surface of the arch busts of St. Paul and St. Peter.

In keeps it inside the medieval structure composed of three naves marked by robust pillars, wooden ceiling (XIX century), originally the cover was made by cannon vaults. Before the chapel, there are two chapels. The Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament of the century. XVI and rebuilt in the mid-eighteenth century. In the front room, the chapel is dedicated to Santa Maria, behind which lies the sacristy.

The chancel was rebuilt in the second half of the sixteenth century (1561). Opens with a pointed triumphal arch, surmounted by a panel of tiles, alluding to the Assumption of Mary.

Military Museum, in Chaves

tourist — Sat, 04 Apr 2015 16:00:44 +0000

Opened in 1978 to commemorate the celebration of nineteen centuries of the existence of the local council of Chaves, the museum is located in the mediaeval keep, offering an exhaustive display of the military history of Portugal, Chaves and its most relevant events and figures. It contains four rooms: on the first floor is the D. João I room, dedicated to the period of the Reconquest; the second floor is dedicated to the Peninsular Wars (1808-1815) in which Chaves played a leading role, as it was through this city that the Second French Invasion occurred (known as the War of Independence in Spain). The third floor is dedicated to Portugal’s contribution to the First World War (1914-1918), and finally the fourth floor is dedicated to the Colonial War (1961-1974), from where it is possible to access the top of the keep, from whose elevated pathway visitors can enjoy sweeping views over the city, the River Tâmega and the gardens that surround the mediaeval enclave.

Museum of the Flaviense Region, in Chaves

tourist — Sat, 04 Apr 2015 15:57:12 +0000

This museum, which opened in 1929, has been in the Palace of the Dukes of Bragança since 1978, close to the Praça de Camões square and Chaves Town Hall. From 1997 onwards, it became essentially an archaeological museum, and the main museum for the Flaviense Region. Its contents date from between the third millennium BC and the period of Roman occupation, and is divided into two main sections: the Pre-Roman Period and the Roman Period. It also has a section dedicated to modern art, with a permanent exhibition of paintings by Nadir Afonso, a painter and architect born in Chaves.

Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/museusdechaves

Chaves Museum Centre of the National Railway Museum, in Chaves

tourist — Sat, 04 Apr 2015 15:53:29 +0000

In an area that has been completely remodelled by Chaves City Council and basically used for cultural activities, the Chaves Museum Centre of the National Railway Museum was opened in 2008. This museum centre, managed jointly by Chaves local council and the National Railway Museum Foundation, occupies the former train sheds of the old railway station of Chaves, the end of the line known as the Linha do Corgo. From 1906 onwards, this line, which was complementary to the Linha do Douro, provided communication by rail with Vila Real and the rest of Portugal. The museum centre has an interesting collection of rolling stock, including a steam locomotive, two passenger carriages and goods wagons which were once in use on the Linha do Corgo.

Museum of Religious Art of the Flaviense Region. in Chaves

tourist — Sat, 04 Apr 2015 15:50:28 +0000

Museum of Religious Art of the Flaviense Region (Chaves)

The museum of Religious Art of the Flaviense Region has stood in the historic centre of the city since 2008, in a building alongside the Mother Church. Inside it displays, conserves and exhibits fundamental aspects of the region’s religious heritage. It has a wide range of items on display, mainly consisting of religious imagery, and liturgical clothing and objects.

Castle of Monterrei, in Monterrei, Galicia

tourist — Sat, 04 Apr 2015 15:42:27 +0000

Castle of Monterrei (Monterrei)
This fortified area, one of the most important in Galicia, was built over the site of an ancient hill-fort, which in the Middle Ages was converted into a fortress to safeguard the frontier. The area still contains the remnants of walls from this period, together with more modern parapets and bastions, the result of advances in fortified structures and new firearms. Inside the mediaeval precinct is the Romanesque church of Santa María de Gracia, containing an interesting altarpiece, the Keep or Tower of Don Sancho, and the Tower of the Damas (the Ladies’ Tower), around which grew the Renaissance palace of the Counts. Monterrei once contained three monasteries (belonging to the orders of St Francis, the Mercedarians and the Jesuits), Galicia’s first ever printers, and the Pilgrims’ Hospice. Close to the castle is the Parador or state-run hotel, built on the site formerly occupied by the Jesuit monastery.

Castle of Santo Estêvão, in Santo Estêvão, Chaves

tourist — Sat, 04 Apr 2015 15:40:46 +0000

The castle of Santo Estêvão is in the parish of the same name, and still contains a defensive tower with battlements and narrow windows for archers, and which, together with the tower of the church in the same town, formed a defensive complex for the valley. In 1258, the population of Santo Estêvão received a charter from Afonso III, and the tower is thought to have been built during the reign of Sancho I. The tower was declared a national monument in 1939.

Castle of Monforte, in Águas Frias, Chaves

tourist — Sat, 04 Apr 2015 15:39:02 +0000

The castle of Monforte is situated in what was the former local council of Monforte de Rio Libre, and was built over the remains of a hill-fort in the twelfth century. Destroyed during the wars against León, it was rebuilt by Afonso III, who granted the walled fortifications a charter, transforming it into a town.

It belonged to Prince Francisco, the brother of King João V, and was finally abandoned in 1853 when the local council ceased to exist.