180px, Lighthouse of Lapa Church. Lapa Church, officially Parish Church of Our Lady of Lapa () is a Parish church in the

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

city of

Póvoa de Varzim Póvoa de Varzim (, ) is a Portuguese city in Northern Portugal and sub-region of Greater Porto, from its city centre. It sits in a sandy coastal plain, a cuspate foreland, halfway between the Minho and Douro rivers. In 2001, there were 63,470 ...

. It was built in 1772 by the local fishermen community. Despite its simplicity it has some interesting features and cultural interest such its old

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...

, once a link between the church and the fishermen at sea. Traditional marriage marks,

Siglas poveiras The siglas poveiras (, "signs of Póvoa"; also known as marcas) is a proto-writing system that has been used by the local community of Póvoa de Varzim in Portugal for many generations. The siglas were primarily used as a signature for family coa ...

, can be found in the church. it is a seaside church and lighthouse, near the seashore in the

Port of Póvoa de Varzim The Port of Póvoa de Varzim is a seaport built in Enseada da Póvoa Bay in the city of Póvoa de Varzim in Portugal. During the Middle Ages, it was known as Port of Varzim (''Porto de Veracim'' in Old Portuguese). Once used for trade and shipbu ...

History

The establishment of the chapel is due to Spanish missionaries,

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related Mendicant orders, mendicant Christianity, Christian Catholic religious order, religious orders within the Catholic Church. Founded in 1209 by Italian Catholic friar Francis of Assisi, these orders include t ...

friars, in the third quarter of the 18th century. They got the support of some local fishermen to create a chapel in honor of Our Lady of the rock (Lapa). The foundation stone was placed on December 9, 1770. Works finished on August 15th 1772, with a solemn blessing. The founders organized themselves as a brotherhood, this status was later confirmed by

Maria I of Portugal , succession = Queen of Portugal , image = Maria I, Queen of Portugal - Giuseppe Troni, atribuído (Turim, 1739-Lisboa, 1810) - Google Cultural Institute.jpg , caption = Portrait attributed to Giuseppe Troni, , reign ...

in 1791, as a Royal brotherhood, the Real Irmandade de N. S. da Assunção, the Royal Brotherhood of our Lady of Assumption, still in existence. Póvoa de Varzim's inhabitants showed great devotion for this chapel to such extent that the brotherhood created a good lighthouse in there, with two-lights with Petrol fuel. It served for navigation, especially for the fishermen.

References

External links

{{Coord, 41, 22, 25.72, N, 8, 45, 41.46, W, source:ptwiki_region:PT_type:landmark, display=title Landmarks in Póvoa de Varzim Roman Catholic churches in Póvoa de Varzim

History

See also

References

External links