Igreja Paroquial de Peso da Régua

The Igreja Matriz of Peso da Régua, also listed as the Igreja Paroquial, stands on Largo D. Manuel Vieira de Matos in the town of Peso da Régua, in the Douro. It is a single-nave church with seven gilded-wood altarpieces and a painting of the Last Supper, and its building works are documented throughout the 18th century.

History

The start of construction is uncertain, owing to unusual aspects of the building process. On 26 October 1735 a deed was drawn up in the then Chapel of the Holy Spirit, in the place called Poeiro, between the parishioners of São Faustino and Joaquim de Sousa Lima Alcoforado, archdeacon of Régua. Many deeds and contracts for the works followed until 1786, among them one dated 18 November 1737 for the church of the town of Peso da Régua.

Architecture and interior

The plan is longitudinal, with a single nave and a chancel, the sacristy being attached to the chancel. The volumes and heights vary and step down. Inside are seven gilded-wood altarpieces, the largest of which covers the whole end wall of the chancel. There hangs a painting of the Last Supper by Pedro Alexandrino de Carvalho. No contract for the painting is known; the source suggests it was commissioned after the woodwork, probably between the late 18th century and the first decade of the 19th.

Practical information

• Address: Largo D. Manuel Vieira de Matos, 5050-241 Peso da Régua.
• Opening and service times: please confirm with the parish or the Peso da Régua municipality (254 320 230, cmregua@cmpr.pt).
• For a view of the town from above, the Miradouro de Santo António in Loureiro looks over Régua.