Sé Nova De Coimbra
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Coimbra New Cathedral (Portuguese: Sé Nova de Coimbra), or the Cathedral of the Holy Name of Jesus, is currently bishopric co-seat (along with Coimbra Old Cathedral (Sé Velha de Coimbra) of the city of
Coimbra Coimbra (, also , , or ), officially the City of Coimbra (), is a city and a concelho, municipality in Portugal. The population of the municipality at the 2021 census was 140,796, in an area of . The fourth-largest agglomerated urban area in Po ...
, in
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
. The cathedral is located near the historical
University of Coimbra The University of Coimbra (UC; , ) is a Public university, public research university in Coimbra, Portugal. First established in Lisbon in 1290, it went through a number of relocations until moving permanently to Coimbra in 1537. The university ...
in the upper part of the town (''Alta de Coimbra'').


History

The "New Cathedral" was originally the church of the
Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
's university college in Coimbra, established in the city in 1543. In 1759, the
Jesuit Order The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rome. It was founded in 1540 by ...
was banned from Portugal by the
Marquis of Pombal A marquess (; ) is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German-language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman with the rank of a marquess or the wife (or widow) ...
, Prime Minister of King José I. In 1772, the bishopric seat was transferred from the old Romanesque Cathedral of the city (now called the
Old Cathedral of Coimbra The Old Cathedral of Coimbra () is a Romanesque Roman Catholic building in Portugal. Construction of the Sé Velha began some time after the Battle of Ourique (1139), when Prince Afonso Henriques declared himself King of Portugal and chose Coi ...
) to the vacant, spacious and more modern Jesuit church. The church architecture was influential in the Portuguese colonial world. The façade of the former Jesuit church of
Salvador Salvador, meaning "salvation" (or "saviour") in Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese may refer to: * Salvador (name) Arts, entertainment, and media Music *Salvador (band), a Christian band that plays both English and Spanish music ** ''Salvador'' ( ...
, in
colonial Brazil Colonial Brazil (), sometimes referred to as Portuguese America, comprises the period from 1500, with the Discovery of Brazil, arrival of the Portuguese, until 1815, when Brazil was elevated to a United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves ...
(now the
Cathedral of Salvador The Cathedral Basilica of Salvador (''Catedral Basílica de Salvador''), officially dedicated to the Transfiguration of Christ and named ''Primatial Cathedral Basilica of the Transfiguration of the Lord'' is the seat of the Archbishop of the city ...
), built in the 17th century, seems inspired by the Jesuit church of Coimbra.


Description

The niches of the façade of the New Cathedral carry statues of four Jesuit saints. The
Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...
decoration of the upper part of the façade, finished in the beginning of the 18th century, contrasts with the lower part, which follows a rigid
Mannerist Mannerism is a style in European art that emerged in the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520, spreading by about 1530 and lasting until about the end of the 16th century in Italy, when the Baroque style largely replaced it ...
style. The church has two bell towers located just behind the main façade and a
dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...
over the crossing. The interior, covered with
barrel vault A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault, wagon vault or wagonhead vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve (or pair of curves, in the case of a pointed barrel vault) along a given distance. The curves are ...
ing, has one
nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
with several lateral chapels and a
transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...
with a
dome A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...
and
cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, usually dome-like structure on top of a building often crowning a larger roof or dome. Cupolas often serve as a roof lantern to admit light and air or as a lookout. The word derives, via Ital ...
. Both transept arms and the main chapel of the
apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...
are decorated with huge, magnificent gilt wood
altarpiece An altarpiece is a painting or sculpture, including relief, of religious subject matter made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting or sculpture, ...
s built between the 17th and 18th centuries which are fine examples of the so-called "national" Portuguese altarpiece style. The lateral chapels of the nave have altarpieces in Mannerist and Baroque styles. The 17th-century choir stalls of the main chapel were brought from the Old Cathedral, as was the intricate stone baptismal font, carved by Pero and Felipe Henriques in late Gothic-
Manueline The Manueline (, ), occasionally known as Portuguese late Gothic, is the sumptuous, composite Portuguese architectural style originating in the 16th century, during the Portuguese Renaissance and Age of Discoveries. Manueline architecture inco ...
style in the beginning of the 16th century.


See also

*
List of Jesuit sites This list includes past and present buildings, facilities and institutions associated with the Society of Jesus. In each country, sites are listed in chronological order of start of Jesuit association. Nearly all these sites have be ...


References

*Portuguese Institute for Architectural Heritag

*General Bureau for National Buildings and Monuments (Portugal


External links


Page about the Sé Nova
{{Authority control Roman Catholic cathedrals in Portugal, Coimbra New Roman Catholic churches in Coimbra Baroque church buildings in Portugal Jesuit churches in Portugal Tourist attractions in Coimbra National monuments in Coimbra District Churches in Coimbra District