MyPortugalHoliday.com
The best independent guide to Central Portugal
MyPortugalHoliday.com
The best independent guide to Central Portugal
Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Consolação, Elvas
One of the hidden gems of Elvas is the Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Consolaço, that over looks the pretty Largo de Santa Clara. From the outside the bland church appears no different from the surrounding buildings but inside church are a myriad of beautiful painted objects.
The beuatiful tiles of the church
These features including wall and ceiling tiles (azulejos), beautiful marble support columns and lavish gilded alters. The Consolaço (Consolation) church may be one of the smallest in Elvas but it is by far the most visually stunning while its history is intertwined with the mysterious Knights of the Templar.
Consolacao Church Tourist Information
The Igreja da Consolaço lies to the north of Elvas and is on the Largo de Santa Clara. There is no entrance fee to visit the church. The Consolation church is open Tuesday to Friday (closed Monday) between 9:30 until 12:30 and 14:30 through to 17:30. Due to the size of the church visitors will spend only a short while in the church.
The alter in the unique eight sided church
Details About the Igreja Consolacao
The very bland exterior of the church is painted in the traditional colours of the Alentejo (white and yellow) and the main portal is of Renaissance design. The first feature which visitors notice on entering is the strange shape of the church, which does not follow the common Latin Cross design as with the majority of churches in Portugal adhere to. The design is of an octagonal shape and the reasoning is attributed to two similar theories.
The bland exterior of the church
The first hypothesis is that, as the church was constructed on the old Knights of the Templar church and the original layout was simply amalgamated into the newer church. The second theory is that the architect was inspired by the grand Templars cathedral in Tomar but both theories have links to the Templars and this was probably their secular base within the region.
There are three gilded alters dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, Saint Thomas Aquinas and Saint Dominic while the walls are cover in 17th century azulejos. Raising from the floor are the painted marble pillars that support the stunning doomed roof that contains 5 painted panels.
History of the Igreja da Consolaço
The Igreja da Consolaço was constructed in 1557, on the site of the old Templar church, as a section of the city's convent. In 1590 a new convent was added to the cathedral and the old convent was demolished leaving the Igreja da Consolaço to stand on its own.
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About this guide: I'm Philip Giddings. I live in Graça, Lisbon, with my Portuguese wife Carla, whose family have been Lisboetas for generations. I've been visiting Portugal since 2001 and writing the independent guides at MyPortugalHoliday.com since 2011, which is now my full-time work. Central Portugal was where Carla and I did much of our early exploring together, and twenty-five years on we still return to the same towns every year: the beaches at Nazaré and Ericeira with family in summer, the walled streets of Óbidos, and the quieter spots inland that most itineraries skip. Carla's extended family are spread across the region, from an aunt near Évora to good friends in Tomar, which gives me firsthand insight and people to check things with on the ground.
This site has 157 guides covering Portugal, from Coimbra down to the southern Alentejo. It takes no payment from tourist boards, tour operators, or attractions for inclusion, and is funded by affiliate commissions on tour bookings, disclosed on every page that contains them. Every practical detail (ticket prices, opening hours, bus and train routes, time-slot policies) is checked against the official sources and verified in person on the trips I make through the region across the year. Read my full story here.
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