ICCROM Mora Samples Collection
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Belmonte, Castelo Branco: MRA-PRT-Bel001

Type Sample Item

Sample ID

MRA-PRT-Bel001

Sample Material Type

Mural painting

Sample Sub-type

fragment

Dimensions (cm)

Length
1.4
Width
0.95
Height
0.25

Weight

weight value (g)
0.5

Geographic Location

Country
Portugal
Place
Belmonte, Castelo Branco
Detailed location not available
no

Site/monument

Portugal (PRT)
Belmonte-Castelo Branco
Igreja de Santiago

Historical note about the site/monument

The Church of Santiago (Igreja de Santiago) at Belmonte in Castelo Branco (north-east of Portugal) is a testimony of a  religious architecture with stylistic features of Romanic, Gothic and Maneirism. The place is probably named after the church of Santiago de Compostela for the city was a resting place for the pilgrims heading to it. It is believed that the church was founded before the kingdom of Dom Dinis of Portugal (1279-1325) by D. Maria Gil Cabral who also built the Chapel of Our lady of Mercy. The church floor plan is longitudinal organized in a single nave and final presbytery structured into a single, round chapel. In 1433, the parents of Pedro Álvares Cabral  funded the Chapel of the Cabrais (also known as Pantheon of the Cabrais) in the north side of the church. It is also in the fifteenth century that the chapel benefits from mural paintings. In the first half of the 17th century Francisco Cabral carried out some renovation in the façade, the high choir is built and the frescoes were repainted.

Chronological period (sample)

13th -17th century

Date of sampling

Unknown
Yes
Fig.1. Sample overview (front). Photo by M.Gil 2018 © ICCROM Archives
Overview of the exterior of the Igreja of Santiago, with the square bell tower on the left, the Cabrais chapel on the centre and the church on the right (Photo by Lrocha – CC-BY-SA 3.0).
Interior of the church, with overview of the Cabrais chapel on the centre (Photo by Lrocha - CC-BY-SA 3.0).
Fig.1. Sample overview (front). Photo by M.Gil 2018 © ICCROM Archives

Inventory

Mora Samples Collection | Fonds
Portugal: MRA-PRT | Series
Belmonte, Castelo Branco: MRA-PRT-Bel | File
Belmonte, Castelo Branco: MRA-PRT-Bel001 | Sample Item

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