Grândola Opens Museum of Sacred Art

Wednesday, 09 November 2011 00:00

The Museum of Sacred Art in Grândola opened its doors to the public on August 23^rd, 2011 at the São Sebastião church to showcase its permanent collection, consisting of paintings, sculptures and decorative arts.  The initiative, developed by the Diocese of Beja's Department of Historic and Artistic Heritage, the Town and Parish of Grândola, integrates nearly 100 works of art, coming from churches in Grândola as well as Azinheira dos Barros and Santa Margarida da Serra, as well as the Brotherhood of Santa Casa da Misericórdia. Despite being largely unknown, Grândola has an extensive and diverse religious history that deserves much more attention than it gets. Led by Republican ideals in the south, Grândola lost part of its religious heritage in the years after 1910. The collection that has survived is therefore extremely significant, as evidenced by collection at the Museum of Sacred Art. Through it, one can piece together some of the most interesting aspects of daily religious life, from pastoral organization to the splentor of liturgical worship and flowering devotions. The contemporary period is also not neglected: a fundamental element in the museu is the altarpiece of Saint George and the Thief, painted in 1961 by José Escada for the church of Lousal. The chapel of São Sebastião was constructed in the outskirts of Grândola towards the beginning of the 16^th century to protect the community from the plague. It has also served pilgrims who passed through the area on the way to Santiago de Compostela. A monument of vernacular character, with simple, austere lines, the chapel became an important reference to local topography. With the growth of the land and after the development of railroad tracks in the vicinity (in 1916), the building became part of the urban circuit, and is now the Museum of Sacred Art.