The baroque religious architecture of Paredes de Coura, Portugal, and the transformation of the territory

Abstract

This study explores the intricate relationship between Baroque religious architecture and the transformation of the territory in Paredes de Coura, Portugal. Between the second half of the 17th century and the first half of the 19th century, Paredes de Coura, located in northern Portugal, gradually transformed its religious spaces and buildings. Parish communities and private initiatives, driven by a deep religious motivation and favourable conjuncture factors, rebuilt, enlarged, and built dozens of chapels and churches from scratch, mostly in Baroque configuration but with differentiating characteristics. This process gradually gave the rural landscape a unique singularity, i.e., a transformation of significant cultural and historical importance. Numerous artisans constructed these buildings and filled their interior spaces with works of sacred art, mainly carved altars, originating primarily from Paredes de Coura and Alto-Minho municipalities. This systematic study, based on the analysis of contemporary documentation of religious buildings and extensive fieldwork, ensures the thoroughness and reliability of our research and aims to disseminate the data related to this process, presenting an overall reading of religious architecture and seeking to understand the reasons which were at the base of the construction of such a large number of temples in the municipality of Paredes de Coura during this period that changed the territory. This also highlights how Baroque religious architecture was a product of artistic and spiritual ambitions and a powerful agent of territorial reconfiguration, affecting settlement patterns, infrastructure, and social hierarchy. The legacy of these transformations continues to influence the region’s cultural landscape today.