Name of Monument:

Sanctuary of Our Lady of Good Remedy/Santuário da Nossa Senhora dos Remédios

Also known as:

Santuario dos Remédios

Location:

Lamego, Viseu, Portugal

Date:

Church: 1750–1782; stairway: 1777–1969

Artists:

Architects: António Mendes Coutinho (active1750); Domingos Francisco Rente (active1750); Augusto Matos Cid (active1880); Master contractor: Manuel Faustino Loureiro (active1782), João de Castro Nunes (active1781–83), Manuel Domingues Barreira (active 1848–80); fountain design by the architect: Nicolau Nasoni (1691–1773); woodcarving: Frei José de Santo António Ferreira Vilaça (active1764–66), Luís Manuel da Silva (active1766) and Manuel José da Silva (active 1871–72). Other dates unknown

Denomination / Type of monument:

Religious architecture, pilgrimage sanctuary

Patron(s):

Brotherhood of Our Lady of Good Remedy

History:

The devotion to Our Lady of Good Remedy in Lamego goes back to 1564, when Bishop D. Manuel de Noronha ordered the rebuilding of a 14th-century chapel that stood where the Sanctuary is today. In 1738–9 the architect, Nicolau Nasoni, designed the Remedy Fountain for the Courtyard of the Kings. In 1750 the Sanctuary was designed by António Mendes Coutinho. The staircase took over 200 years to complete; the design was initially drawn up in 1777 and building continued from 1781 until 1969.

Description:

The enormous staircase with 691 stairs crosses the hill to reach the Sanctuary. It has nine profusely decorated levels with pyramids and statues, namely the Courtyard of the Kings and some fountains. The balance and harmony of the church façade are due both to the pinnacled bell tower and to the sculptures crowning the pediment. The framed windows of the façade are decorated with garlands. In the centre of the façade the entrance is decorated with vegetal elements and is surmounted by a niche hosting the image of Our Lady of Remedy.
In the interior beside the azulejos panels representing scenes on the life of the Virgin, there are two gilt carved wood collateral altarpieces devoted to Saint Anne and St. Joachim, designed by José de Santo António de Vilaça, who is also the author of the main gilt carved wood altarpiece in the octagonal cupola-covered chancel.

Located on top of a hill facing Lamego, the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Good Remedy is composed of a church and an enormous stairway located in a park with Iberian, Mediterranean and exotic trees. The church has a longitudinal plan with a nave and a higher hexagonal main chapel.
The interior is decorated with three gilt wood carved altarpieces and azulejos panels.

How Monument was dated:

Inscription in the façade

Special features

Collateral Altarpiece

Church interior, Sanctuary of Our Lady of Good Remedy

1764–1766

Frei José de Santo António Ferreira (active1764-66)

Both collateral altarpieces are very similar, made of gilt carved wood and flanked by pilasters decorated with acanthus leaves.

Main Altarpiece

Church Interior, Chancel, Sanctuary of Our Lady of Good Remedy

1764–1766

Frei José de Santo António Ferreira (act.1764–66), Luís Manuel da Silva (act.1766)

The Main altarpiece is decorated with gilded wood carving in the Rococo style, similar to that of Tibães Monastery, although adapted to a narrower space. The entire structure is elevated. Five steps lead up to the throne occupied by the image of Our Lady that is under a baldachin.

Remedy Fountain

Courtyard of the Kings, Sanctuary of Our Lady of Good Remedy

1738–1739

Nicolau Nasoni (1691–1773)

Situated in the centre of the Courtyard of the Kings, overlooking the staircase, is an obelisk fountain known as the Remedy Fountain. The obelisk in the centre of the fountain is 14 metres high.

Church Façade

Exterior, Sanctuary of Our Lady of Good Remedy

c. 1750; towers: 1848; final design façade: 1880; pediment: c.1890

Church: António Mendes Coutinho (active 1750 ); stairs: Manuel Faustino Loureiro (active1782); Towers: Augusto de Matos Cid (active1880).

The late 18th-century Rococo façade is divided into three parts, separated by Corinthian pilasters with capitals, and surmounted by a magnificent pediment built in the 19th century. The two towers, designed in 1848, were completed at the beginning of the 20th century. The pediment dates to around 1890. The first section of the stairway can also be seen in the photograph.

Stairway (general view)

Exterior, Sanctuary of Our Lady of Good Remedy

1777–1781

Design: Manuel Faustino Loureiro (active 1782)

The design for the staircase was drawn up in 1777. Building began in 1781 and continued until 1969.

Selected bibliography:

Marrana, C. J. A., História do Culto de Nossa Senhora dos Remédios em Lamego, Porto, 1957.
Alves, A., “Subsídios para a História do Santuário de Nossa Senhora dos Remédios – O Pátio dos Reis e o Pátio de Jesus Maria e José”, Separata da Revista da Beira Alta, Viseu, 1971.
Pinto, L. B., O Santuário de Nossa Senhora dos Remédios em Lamego – contributo para o estudo da sua construção 1750–1905/69, Lamego, 2001.

Citation of this web page:

Rui Oliveira Lopes "Sanctuary of Our Lady of Good Remedy/Santuário da Nossa Senhora dos Remédios" in "Discover Baroque Art", Museum With No Frontiers, 2024. https://baroqueart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;BAR;pt;Mon11;8;en

Prepared by: Rui Oliveira Lopes
Translation by: Cristina CorreiaCristina Correia

SURNAME: Correia
NAME: Cristina

AFFILIATION: Eça de Queirós Public High School, Lisbon and MWNF

TITLE: Senior Teacher, Local Co-ordinator and Vice-President of MWNF

CV:
Cristina Correia is a History graduate and, since 1985, a Senior Teacher of History at the Eça de Queirós Public High School, Lisbon where she also lectures in Portuguese Language and Culture for non-native speakers. From 1987 to 1998 she was involved with youth affairs, primary prevention and the Camões Institute. She is Vice-President and Local Co-ordinator (Portugal) for MWNF.
Translation copyedited by: Mandi GomezMandi Gomez

Amanda Gomez is a freelance copy-editor and proofreader working in London. She studied Art History and Literature at Essex University (1986–89) and received her MA (Area Studies Africa: Art, Literature, African Thought) from SOAS in 1990. She worked as an editorial assistant for the independent publisher Bellew Publishing (1991–94) and studied at Bookhouse and the London College of Printing on day release. She was publications officer at the Museum of London until 2000 and then took a role at Art Books International, where she worked on projects for independent publishers and arts institutions that included MWNF’s English-language editions of the books series Islamic Art in the Mediterranean. She was part of the editorial team for further MWNF iterations: Discover Islamic Art in the Mediterranean Virtual Museum and the illustrated volume Discover Islamic Art in the Mediterranean.

True to its ethos of connecting people through the arts, MWNF has provided Amanda with valuable opportunities for discovery and learning, increased her editorial experience, and connected her with publishers and institutions all over the world. More recently, the projects she has worked on include MWNF’s Sharing History Virtual Museum and Exhibition series, Vitra Design Museum’s Victor Papanek and Objects of Desire, and Haus der Kulturen der Welt’s online publication 2 or 3 Tigers and its volume Race, Nation, Class.

MWNF Working Number: PT 08