0 Likes
As a result of the ecclesiastical renovation motivated by the Counterform, D. João III (1521 - 1557) managed to obtain from the papacy the creation of three new dioceses, which accompanied the growth of some cities: Leiria, Portalegre and Miranda do Douro.
The construction of the church began in 1552, having been completed in the last decade of the 16th century. The author is unknown, knowing only that there was a first project dating from 1547, presumably executed by the master of works Francisco Velasquez. It has similarities with the Ses de Leiria (1551-1570, Afonso Alvares) and Portalegre (1556-1580). These three projects were decided at the level of the Court, so it is assumed that they had the common authorship of the official architect of the Court Miguel de Arruda. In 1566 Bishop D. António Pinheiro consecrated the main altar and in 1609, D. Diogo de Sousa informs the Pope that the construction was completed.
The cathedral is the largest religious temple in the region of Trás-os-Montes, being classified as "National Monument of Portugal" since 1910.
Inside, the main altarpiece of a masterpiece of Iberian sculpture by Gregório Fernandez 1588-1683
...
Europe is generally agreed to be the birthplace of western culture, including such legendary innovations as the democratic nation-state, football and tomato sauce.The word Europe comes from the Greek goddess Europa, who was kidnapped by Zeus and plunked down on the island of Crete. Europa gradually changed from referring to mainland Greece until it extended finally to include Norway and Russia.Don't be confused that Europe is called a continent without looking like an island, the way the other continents do. It's okay. The Ural mountains have steadily been there to divide Europe from Asia for the last 250 million years. Russia technically inhabits "Eurasia".Europe is presently uniting into one political and economic zone with a common currency called the Euro. The European Union originated in 1993 and is now composed of 27 member states. Its headquarters is in Brussels, Belgium.Do not confuse the EU with the Council of Europe, which has 47 member states and dates to 1949. These two bodies share the same flag, national anthem, and mission of integrating Europe. The headquarters of the Council are located in Strasbourg, France, and it is most famous for its European Court of Human Rights. In spite of these two bodies, there is still no single Constitution or set of laws applying to all the countries of Europe. Debate rages over the role of the EU in regards to national sovereignty. As of January 2009, the Lisbon Treaty is the closest thing to a European Constitution, yet it has not been approved by all the EU states. Text by Steve Smith.
