Igreja real de São Francisco Évora
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Transcript of Igreja real de São Francisco Évora
''Evora is the finest example of a city of the golden age of Portugal after the destruction of Lisbon by the earthquake of 1755'' Inscription criteria on the List of the UNESCO World Heritage (1985)
Saint Francis Church (Igreja de São Francisco): Built between the end of the 15th and the early 16th centuries in mixed Gothic-Manueline styles. The wide nave is a masterpiece of late Gothic architecture. Contains many chapels decorated in Baroque style, including the Chapel of Bones (Capela dos Ossos), totally covered with human bones.
This huge church was built in Gothic style (with some Manueline influences) between 1475 and the 1550s to the design of Martim Lourenço, replacing an earlier Romanesque church of 1226.
This church is one of a kind through its narthex with arcades in front of the church. The arcade is formed by seven arches with different forms (semicircular, pointed or horseshoe arches), a typical blend of Gothic and Moorish elements.
The Manueline entrance to the church carries above a pelican, emblem of king João II and an armillary, emblem of king Manuel I
The single, groin-vaulted nave gives a wide impression, accentuated by the white mortar on the walls and the columns. This is the largest nave of this kind to be found in Portuguese churches.
The chancel (early 16th century) with the main altar (from a later date) displays Renaissance features. But the choir stalls were made in different art styles : the right one in Renaissance, the left in Baroque style.
The altars in the transept are decorated with gilded sculpturework (talha dourada) framing 16th century panels, probably painted by Flemish artists.
Built in the first half of the 17th century, as an extension of the Chapter House of the Convent of São Francisco, the Chapel of Bones is an invitation to reflect on the transitory nature of the human condition, summarized in the words above its entrance: WE BONES HERE, FOR YOURS AWAIT (Nós ossos que aqui estamos pelos vossos esperamos).