The book «Igreja Matriz de Portimão – 550 Years of History (1467-2017)», a monographic essay by Nuno Campos Inácio, author of other titles dedicated to the history of Portimão, will be released on December 10, at 16 pm, at that time. church, closing the celebrations of its five and a half centuries of life.
The Church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição, which is the parish church of Portimão, has commemorated, throughout this year, the 550 years of episcopal authorization for its construction, in response to a request addressed to the then Bishop of Algarve by the population of Portimão.
As part of these celebrations, the Parish Church of Portimão will receive, between December 2 and 8, the visit of the Pilgrim Image of Our Lady of Conception from Vila Viçosa, with a pilgrimage from Portimão to Vila Viçosa on the 9th, which will accompany the return of Image to your Sanctuary.
The book, which is the first monograph elaborated on this monument in the Algarve, was born from the challenge that the parish priest of Matriz, Father Mário de Sousa, launched on the author.
With 324 pages, the work is divided into 22 chapters, which address such broad themes, ranging from the origin of Christianity in Hispania to the Mother Church today, through the characterization of the temple, the religious life of Portimonense century by century, the Visitations, the Chapels, Confraternity and Brotherhoods, Sacred Art, statistics, list of priests and the rich Tombo of the Igreja Matriz.
«In its preparation, the author, following his style of researcher and genealogist, chose to give preference to original documents over the already published bibliography, so that the overwhelming majority of the information now published is unpublished and results from primary documentation, from the documentary collection of the Parish Church itself», reveals the publisher Arandis, which publishes the book.
For the author, the present work complements the one he launched last June, relating to the history of the county of Vila Nova de Portimão, «since it is impossible to dissociate the history of the church from the history of the city».
On this path and in the preface of the work, Father Mário de Sousa recalls that “it was in order to get to know this history better that, in recent years, we began to digitize the good collection of documents and manuscripts of the Parish. However, this would be of little use if its contents were not revealed».
D. Manuel Quintas, Bishop of the Algarve, says he is “sure that reading this book will help its readers, particularly those of this Christian community, to enjoy the richness of the heritage of faith and life inherited from their ancestors, so that today, as their heirs and the living stones of the Church, may they witness it and transmit it to everyone».
All proceeds from the sale of the books revert to the Parish of Nossa Senhora da Conceição – Matriz de Portimão, with the author graciously preparing the work and Arandis Editora, who publishes it, abdicated its profit margin.
Nuno Campos Inácio hopes that this work «will contribute to the creation of the Museum of Sacred Art of Portimão, displaying much of the religious heritage of the county, thereby dignifying the magnificent history of the Church and serving as an attraction for residents and tourists'.
The book's presentation, on Sunday, the 10th, will feature a musical moment by the Bach Orchestra, to which other musical surprises may be added.
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