Igreja do Desterro

The Igreja do Desterro stands on Rua Cardoso Avelino in Lamego, in the Douro Valley. It was founded in 1640 on the site of an older hermitage and is known for an interior covered in 18th-century gilded woodwork by master carvers from the town itself. It is classified as a Property of Public Interest.

Origins of the church

The church was founded in 1640 by D. Frei Luís Álvares de Távora, bailiff of Leça, where a hermitage dedicated to Nossa Senhora do Desterro had stood. The door is framed by two Corinthian columns, with the founder's arms above. The chapel of São Pedro de Balsemão, linked to the Visigothic period when Lamego was a bishopric, shows another religious layer of the region: see the Capela de São Pedro de Balsemão. The master carvers named above worked in Lamego in the 18th century, and it is this local connection that the town council stresses by including the church on its monumental route.

Gilded woodwork and paintings

Inside, the 18th-century gilded woodwork is credited to the Lamego master carvers Manuel Martins, Manuel de Gouveia and Manuel Machado. The main altar has a tabernacle of carved wood. Five canvases with Italian influence belong to the church but are currently kept in the town's museum. The Desterro is part of the town's monumental route, together with the Igreja de Santa Cruz.

Practical information

Address: Rua Cardoso Avelino, Lamego. In town you will also find the Cathedral and the Museu de Lamego. Opening times are not confirmed in the sources consulted: ask the Câmara Municipal de Lamego (cm-lamego.pt) or the parish before you go.