Lamego Cathedral

Lamego Cathedral (Sé Catedral de Lamego), also known as the Church of Nossa Senhora da Assunção, stands on the Largo da Sé in the historic centre of Lamego. It is a National Monument, legally protected by a decree of 16 June 1910, and is maintained by the Diocese of Lamego.

The building brings together work from several periods: a tower of Romanesque origin, a façade with three Gothic portals, a 16th-century cloister and an interior decorated in the 18th century.

The building and its history

According to the e-cultura heritage database, the tower was built in the second half of the 12th century, with windows on capitals decorated with palmettes, fine examples of the Romanesque style. It was later remodelled, and the sources consulted point to work in the 16th century (under Bishop D. Manuel de Noronha) and in the 18th.

The façade has three portals with multiple archivolts, carved in granite, from the late Gothic (flamboyant) period, with Renaissance influence in the two side portals, according to the Lamego municipality. Inside, the church has three naves divided into bays with ribbed vaults.

What to see

• Painted vaults: the vaults of the main body were decorated by Nicolau Nasoni between 1737 and 1738 with scenes from the Old Testament.
• Cloister: an example of the transition from Gothic to Renaissance, it was contracted in 1524 between Bishop D. Fernando and the stonemason Duarte Coelho and, according to the municipality, was completed in 1557. It opens onto the chapels of São Nicolau and Santo António.
• High altar: it has an 18th-century silver frontal.
• Paço dos Bispos: the former episcopal palace, a Baroque 18th-century building, now houses the Museu de Lamego.

Visiting notes

The cathedral is at Largo da Sé, 5100 Lamego. E-cultura mentions recent work by the Diocese on the vault paintings and on the cloister chapels. We found no official source for opening hours or entry conditions, so please confirm them locally before visiting.