Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Rosário - Vila Franca do Rosário

The Church of Vila Franca do Rosário stands out for its scenic and theatrical galilee that precedes the main façade, which should have been part of a wider, but not completed, architectural project. In fact, the staggered volumes corresponding to the area of ​​the nave and the chancel are relatively simple, with only windows with a stonework frame on the upper floors. It is, therefore, the galilee that gives it great grandeur and that makes this property the structured axis of the walled churchyard in which it is inserted. The construction of the temple dates back to the second half of the 16th century (1567) and, if you believe in the tombstone on the floor of the nave, it would certainly be completed in 1580. Its origin is related to a legend where the apparition of Our Lady is told to the little pastor Fernando, and in which the Virgin orders him to build a chapel in the same place, ensuring that, for this, there would be no lack of resources. Despite the initial reluctance of the pastor's father, the work of the Church began at the expense of this farmer and, according to the instructions of Our Lady, his image, which was to appear in the new temple, was found in the hermitage of Santa Comba , located nearby (Lucena, 1987, pp. 53-54). This legend that justifies the construction of the temple, should also explain the connection to Santa Comba, whose image is found in the chancel, alongside the representation of the patron saint of the Church. The primitive building must have suffered major damage as a result of the 1755 earthquake, but the extent of the damage is unknown, so it is difficult to see whether the galilee is an unfinished later work, or whether it is the result of the 18th century earthquake, however, the Church has not yet been fully repaired, however, it seems that this structure that precedes the façade is clearly a work of Baroque language, of an erudite model. The iconography referring to the invocation of the temple, travels through space and, in the portal, evocative motifs of the rosary are visible, such as the tile that borders it represents the legend I have already mentioned. The same theme is found in the interior, in terms of the painting of the ceilings: the nave, in a vault, alludes to the episode in which the Virgin gives the rosary to São Domingos de Gusmão. Also in the interior, in addition to the pulpit and the high choir, the latter over the main door, the two side gilded altars stand out and, in the chancel, the altarpiece is a later work, We can conclude that the uniqueness of the galilee of this temple, which is rooted in architectural models of great erudition, is its most significant element, contrasting strongly with the interior, with great decorative purification, a fact that shows an aesthetic discontinuity. This Church was classified as IIP - Property of Public Interest by Decree n ° 29/84, DR I Series n ° 145 of 06/25/1984.