Church of São Gião


A Church of São Gião is an 18th-century church in the civil parish of São Gião, in the municipality of Oliveira do Hospital, in the Portuguese district of Coimbra. Classified as a national monument since 1910, it is locally known as the Cathedral das Beiras, although unrecognized by IGESPAR or the Diocese of Guarda.

History

The parish was founded in 1756. By the middle of the 18th century, the parochial church was re-constructed; by 1795, during the reign of King D. Maria, worked had continued on the presbytery and lateral altars, that also included paintings and main chapel.
The high choir was constructed in the 19th century.
On 20 July 1991, there was a proposal to classify the Fábrica da Igreja as a heritage site. By 7 February 2003, a dispatch from the vice-president of the IPPAR showed the intention of the national body to advance with a process of classification. It was supported on 10 December 2007, by the DRCoimbra, that suggested classifying the area around it as a special protection zone, and as an IIP Imóvel de Interesse Público. The Conselho Consultivo '' of IGESPAR, supported the new designation on 3 March 2009.

Architecture

The church is situated in the centre of the small town of São Gião, in a central square, surrounded by historic buildings.
Constructed during the Baroque period, it included two panels attributed to the Italian, Pascal Parente, then living in Coimbra. The main retable is attributed to sculptor António Neves and carver Jose Ribeiro da Fonseca from Beiras, in the last part of the 18th century.