Convento de São Pedro de Alcântara: A Capela dos Lencastres

An in-depth look at the Capela dos Lencastres in the Arrábido complex of São Pedro de Alcântara, its description and analysis, an exhibition of the decorative options adopted and interventions carried out over time. This research work carried out by Maria João Pereira Coutinho reveals how the memory of the 'Cardinal Inquisitor', D. Veríssimo de Lencastre, as mentioned in contemporary documentation, was perpetuated with a work of great erudition in the artistic field, and only for she is remembered. In this way, the chapel dedicated to the saints Veríssimo, Máxima and Júlia, in the convent of São Pedro de Alcântara, in Lisbon, demonstrates the power of a 17th century ecclesiastic and reflects the magnificence of an Archbishop of Braga and Primate of Spain, descendant of D. João II. The space, belonging to the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa, is an example of the cohesion between different manifestations of Portuguese Baroque decorative arts, and particularly an example of conformity, with regard to the ornamental program of polychrome marbles that cover it. The testimonies of different periods and the light brought through unpublished documents provide a new reading of the place. The historical and artistic contextualization of the work, and subsequent analysis of it, reinforces the importance of the artistic heritage of Misericórdia de Lisboa and adds new relationships with other similar spaces.

Author: Maria João Pereira Coutinho

Year of publication: 2006
Publisher: Horizonte Books
ISBN: 9729722414838