This post is based primarily on
Don's notes, occasionally supplemented with MT's notes from our Camino in 2016.
When information from other sources is added—for further explanation to readers
or to satisfy our own curiosity—that is set off in a text box (as this one).
Most of the photos that accompany
this post are from Don’s camera (with a caption indicating the time it was
taken); those from MT’s iPhone are indicated by “MT” placed at the beginning of
the photo caption. Photos from any other source (such as the public domain
Wikimedia Commons) indicate that source in the caption.
We
departed at 8:50 am, and on the way out of town Carlos passed us in his van,
transporting our backpacks to Condeixa-a-Nova.
Sunday, September 04, 2016, 9:17 AM - After Ansião: wooded path with MT in
distance.
9:40 AM - After Ansião: intersection with
arrows on Camino marker post pointing left (toward a Do Not Enter sign); we
went straight and then turned left.
9:53 AM – After Neto: newly planted eucalyptus
trees, being watered; by rock wall is a Camino marker post with arrow pointing
left.
MT 10:01 AM – After Neto: newly planted
eucalyptus trees.
10:02 AM – After Neto: path uphill.
MT 10:03-10:04 AM – After Neto: 3 yellow
arrows painted on rocks and wooden sign for “Santiago” (collage).
MT 10:10 AM – After Neto: dirt path leading
through woods.
10:18 AM – Near Santiago da Guarda (on sign):
arrows on utility pole pointing to turn right.
The
town of Santiago da Guarda was actually 2.5 km to the west of this
intersection, off the Camino route. Just after we passed the intersection with
the option for Santiago da Guarda, we saw a pilgrim on our path for the first
time, but he was headed in the opposite direction (toward Fátima). Earlier this
day, we had once again seen a couple of sets of footprints in the dust, headed
in the same way we were. Previously, the only pilgrims we had seen were one
pilgrim crossing the square in Tomar as we were drinking our sangrias and a
French couple we met at the bus station in Tomar and that we saw getting off
the bus in Alvaiázere. So the Portuguese route is definitely less traveled than
the Camino Frances.
10:18 AM – After Santiago da Guarda: MT on
rocky path, uphill.
10:53 AM – After Santiago da Guarda: yellow
arrow (for Camino de Santiago) and blue arrow (for Fátima) pointing in opposite
directions; also a red and white GR marker; so this trail served multiple
purposes.
After
Ansião, there was a possible detour to Fátima, marked with blue arrows. From
that point on, we would often find blue arrows pointing back toward Fátima, for
pilgrims traveling in the opposite direction on the same route. (In the absence
of a yellow arrow, we sometimes just went the way opposite the blue arrow.)
GR stands for the Grande
Rota (Portuguese), Grande Randonée (French), Grote Routepaden or
Lange-afstand-wandelpaden (Dutch), or Gran Recorrido (Spanish). This is a
network of long-distance footpaths in Europe, blazed with characteristic
markers consisting of a white stripe above a red stripe. Many GR routes make up
part of the longer European walking routes, which cross several countries.
The
next town we came to was Alvorge.
11:10 AM – Alvorge: sign entering town.
MT 11:17 AM – Alvorge: Don with sign
entering town.
Alvorge (pop. 1,227)
one of the 8 freguesias (civil
parishes) in the Municipality of Ansião. As a religious parish (paroquia), it belongs to the Diocese of
Coimbra. The name Alvorge is from the
Arabic Al Burj, meaning “the tower.”
In the period of the Christian Reconquest, Alvorge was part of a border area,
so that its tower was part of the border defenses protecting the city of
Coimbra to its north. The tower also had the purpose of protecting the spring
of Alvorge, which provided a rich source
of water in a region with few springs. Only some ruins remain of this tower,
known as Torre de defesa da Fonte do Alvorge (Tower of the Defense of the
Fountain of Alvorge).
One of the first references to
Alvorge came in a deed or charter from 1141 (even before the independence of
the Kingdom of Portugal).
Somehow,
we must have missed the Capela da
Misericórdia de Alvorge, or at least missed taking a photo of it.
In the center of Alvorge is the Capela da Misericórdia de Alvorge (Chapel
of Mercy of Alvorge). The Baroque chapel is part of the same architectural
complex as the former Hospital da Misericórdia (Hospital of Mercy) of the
village and, from the exterior, it is hard to distinguish two buildings. The
gabled roofs of the two buildings are arranged transversely, giving a wavy appearance
to the top of the whole complex.
Alvorge: Santa Casa da
Misericórdia and Capela da Misericórdia de Alvorge https://www.flickr.com/photos/ccdrc/5922464696 or https://c1.staticflickr.com/7/6025/5922464696_942e09e8fe_b.jpg.
The chapel dates from the 17th
and 18th centuries, with an enclosure delimited by a wall with a railing, from
1908, with two gates that access the chapel and the old hospital. The main
façade, corresponding to the body of the chapel, is delimited by pilasters,
flanked by pinnacles, and topped by a clover cross resting on a small plinth.
The arched door of the chapel bears the dates 1764/1904. The hospital body is
surmounted by a bell arch and has three windows and two straight doors. Below
the bell arch on the façade is the royal coat of arms (possibly from the reign
of Pedro II), dated 1696.
The interior of the chapel has a
single nave, with a triumphal arch carved with the royal coat of arms. The main
altar, in polychrome gilt carving, is from the 18th century.
On the same street, there are
other historic buildings, including the Casa Alpendrada (porch house) that was
donated to the local Santa Casa da Misericórdia (Holy House of Mercy).
The Santa Casa da Misericórdia (Holy House of Mercy) is a Portuguese
charity with the avowed purpose of affording spiritual and material aid to all
in need. It was founded in Lisbon in 1498 and spread to branches throughout the
Portuguese-speaking world.* It declares itself to be a Catholic lay brotherhood
and to work through 14 Works of Mercy, seven of a spiritual nature: to teach
the humble, to give good advice, to punish those who do wrong, to console the
sad, to pardon offenses, to suffer patiently, to pray for the living and for
the deceased; and seven of a corporeal nature: to visit the ill and imprisoned,
to free captives, to clothe the naked, to feed the hungry and thirsty, to
shelter travelers and to bury the dead.
*It is the oldest working nongovernmental organization (NGO) in the world and is not supervised by the Church or State.
*It is the oldest working nongovernmental organization (NGO) in the world and is not supervised by the Church or State.
However,
we saw another small chapel very close to the main church of the town.
11:20 AM - Alvorge: small chapel – exterior
with “1565” over the door.
11:22 AM - Alvorge: small chapel – interior;
saint (St. Agatha of Sicily) on right with severed breasts on a plate.
11:22 AM - Alvorge: small chapel – interior;
close-up of statue of Trinity above altar.
Then
we came to the Igreja Matriz de Alvorge,
where Sunday mass had just started. So we did not get to see the inside of it.
11:20 AM - Alvorge: Igreja Matriz.
The Igreja Matriz de Alvorge (Mother [or Main] Church of Alvorge) is dedicated
to Nossa Senhora da Conceição (Our Lady of the Conception).
The present church was not the
first built in this locality. There are reports as early as 1229 that the
Igreja de Santa María do Alvorge (Church of St. Mary of Alvorge) had been
built. The current Igreja Matriz would have been built during the 16th, 17th,
and 18th centuries. It was initially dedicated to Nossa Senhora da Assunção
(Our Lady of the Assumption), but after the 17th century began to be called Our
Lady of the Conception.
The single nave has tiled floors
and a ceiling of painted wood. The Hispano-Arabic (azulejo) tiles that originally covered the interior walls were
removed during remodeling in the 18th century. The church has two side altars
of 18th-century carving, flanking the triumphal arch that accesses the main
altar. The main altar, dating from 1553, was decorated with paintings, but was
covered over with gilt carving in the following century. The main altar is
carved with Solomonic columns and an arch decorated with figures of angels,
vine leaves, and bunches of grapes. The baptistery has two statues, one of St.
Joseph and the other of the Virgin Mary.
11:24 AM - Alvorge: MT in front of Igreja
Matriz – exterior (closer up).
11:29 AM – After Alvorge: MT on wooded path.
11:58 AM – After Alvorge: MT on rocky path and
more path uphill.
12:02 PM – After Alvorge: looking back on
path to Alvorge and olive orchard.
12:34 PM – After Alvorge: roadside shrine
with Calvary scene.
MT 12:40 PM – After Alvorge: roadside shrine
with Calvary scene.
12:34 PM – After Alvorge: roadside shrine
with Calvary scene in azulejo tiles
(close up).
12:34 PM – After Alvorge: MT looking at
roadside shrine with Calvary scene, with road-like path toward Ribeira de
Alcalamouque.
In
Ribeira de Alcalamouque, an
85-year-old lady, whose house we had just passed, called out to offer us water
(which we greatly needed, with empty water bottles and—according to MT—Don’s
dry lips). The invited us into her house. As we went into a tunnel-like
(cellar) corridor where she had clothes hanging to dry, she asked if we wanted
soup and had us sit at a small wooden table in the laundry corridor. Then a
younger lady stopped outside the door in a van marked Casa da Misericórdia
(Holy House of Mercy) and came in with bags of bread and apparently other food.
While we waited for the soup, after receiving a pitcher of water, the older
lady showed us a bathroom down the corridor. Then she brought a small
tablecloth for the small table.
1:05 PM – Ribeira de Alcalamouque: our soups
and bread on small table with tablecloth.
1:07 PM – Ribeira de Alcalamouque: our small
table with MT coming back from bathroom at other end of corridor.
After
she brought us soup and bread and a bowl for herself, she also brought out some
rice with red beans and a flat, grilled meat. When we asked what kind of meat
it was, she said she didn’t know, because the other lady had just brought it
and she had just warmed it up in her oven. (We later decided it was either pork
or chicken breast.) We initially split one piece of meat, but she later
insisted that Don take another. She also brought us a small salad (leftovers).
1:17 PM – Ribeira de Alcalamouque: Don’s plate
with rice and red beans and meat.
While
eating, we had a long conversation with her—and all this was in Portuguese.
When we were getting ready to leave, MT offered her 10€ for all her kindness,
but she refused it. When we asked if we could take her picture, she went into
the other part of the house and changed from her house dress into a very nice
skirt and blouse (which MT thought had been under her house dress) with a
necklace. These were probably her church clothes (she had told us that a man
had given her a ride to mass). Then she rejoined us as the table.
1:29 PM – Ribeira de Alcalamouque: MT and our
host by the table.
MT 1:35 PM – Ribeira de Alcalamouque: Don and
our host by the table.
When
we finally left (after nearly an hour 1:05-1:50), she asked us to pray with her
for her son who had something wrong with his head. (We didn’t understand if he
was mentally ill, just sick, or possibly dead.) Then, after she gave us good-bye
kisses, Don took her picture again at the door.
1:43 PM – Ribeira de Alcalamouque: our host at
her door.
OUR VISIT WITH
THIS KIND LADY TURNED OUT TO BE OUR FAVORITE EXPERIENCE ON THE WHOLE CAMINO PORTUGUÉS.
1:50 PM – Just after Ribeira de Alcalamouque:
old windmill in distance.
Windmills are thought to
have existed in Portugal since the 11th century. Many pristine examples still
dot the hillsides, particularly in coastal regions. Most windmills have a
cylindrical brick or stone base. The upper section revolves to catch the wind
in its canvas sails.
1:50 PM – Just after Ribeira de Alcalamouque:
old windmill (telephoto 220 mm).
When
we got to Rabaçal, it was already
around 2:30 pm, and it was still another 13.8 km to Condeixa-a-Nova, our destination
for the night. So we stopped at Café
Bonito and asked the lady behind the bar to call a taxi for us to
Condeixa-a-Nova. She said the taxi would come in 5 minutes.
Rabaçal is a village in
the freguesia (civil parish) of the
same name (pop. 291) in the concelho
(municipality) of Penela. Rabaçal was formerly the seat of the municipality.
Traces of a Roman settlement in the present municipality include Roman roads
and a late Roman villa dating from the 4th century AD. Ruins of the villa were
discovered in 1984, and excavations have been carried out since 1986.
The Castelo de Germanelo (Germanelo
Castle) was built in 1142 during the Reconquista,
possibly on the site of an old Romanized castro
(hill fort), and a concelho
(municipality) of Germanelo began to form around it, receiving its charter also
in 1142. The purpose of the castle was to defend against frequent raids of the
Moors in the region. However, it lost its strategic importance after the
conquest of Santarém in 1147. At that point, efforts to build a settlement
stopped and, by the 14th century, the castle was completely abandoned and left
to decay. In the early 1940s, a historian bought the castle ruins and partly
rebuilt it according to the original plans, Since 2000, the municipality and the
district of Coimbra have been working on the castle, still privately owned. The
castle, the Roman ruins, and the Museu de
Villa Romana (Museum of the Roman Villa) are the main attractions of the freguesia, together with the local
cheese Queijo Rabaçal.
2:39 PM – Rabaçal: church across street corner
from Café Bonito, with signs including ones pointing to the neighboring villages
of Fartosa and Tamazinhos.
The neoclassical Igreja Paroquial de Rabaçal (Parish
Church of Rabaçal), also known as Igreja de Santa María Madalene (Church of St.
Mary Magdalene) or Igreja Matriz do Rabaçal (Mother Church of Rabaçal), from
the 16th century, was rebuilt in the late 18th century.
MT 2:47 PM – Rabaçal: MT in front of Café
Bonito and another sign pointing to Fartosa.
2:39 PM – Rabaçal: MT in front of Café Bonito
and another sign pointing to Fartosa.
MT 2:44 PM – Rabaçal: Melons for sale.
2:45 PM – Rabaçal: menu sign in front of Café
Bonito with a pilgrim and Camino marker symbols.
MT 2:45 PM – Rabaçal: pilgrim and Camino
marker symbols on menu sign in front of Café Bonito.
When
we arrived in Condeixa-a-Nova
(pronounced kon-DAY′-sha), the charge on the meter was a little over 16€, and
MT gave the driver 20€. The driver had told us it was 38° C (100.4° F) that day and that the next
day might be 40° C (104° F).
Condeixa-a-Nova (also known as
Condeixa) is a town in the concelho
(municipality) of the same name (municipality pop. 17,078) in the district of
Coimbra. The town is known for the ancient Roman settlement of Conímbriga,
which is located nearby. Excavations there have unearthed traces of the Iron
Age going back to the 9th century BC. The Romans arrived there in 139 BC and
established a base on what had been a Celtic settlement (briga is Celtic for “fortified place.”) Part of the Camino route
here follows the original Roman road that linked Olisipo (Lisbon) with Bracara
Augusta (Braga).
Conímbriga, established in the
2nd century BC, experienced a thriving growth that lasted for more than 4
centuries. With the decline of the Roman Empire and then the barbarian invasions,
these lands were regained by Dom Alfonso II of Asturias in the 11th century.
The few inhabitants who remained founded the present Condeixa, farther to the
north.
The Condeixa lands were given to
the Monastery of Santa Cruz in Coimbra by Dom Alfonso Henriques (King Alfonso I
of Portugal) in the 12th century. At that time, the friars of the Monastery were
in charge of populating the lands and founded there Condeixa-a-Nova (Condeixa
the New), since Condeixa-a-Velha (Condeixa the Old), where the ruins of
Conímbriga are, already existed. The first document to mention Condeixa-a-Nova
was in 1219. In the first centuries of its existence, Condeixa-a-Nova grew
little, and at the beginning of the 16th century had only 20 families. In the early
16th century, however, the new town was raised to the status of a freguesia (civil parish), because it is
said that King Manuel I passed through these lands in 1502, on his way to
Santiago de Compostela. At the request of the inhabitants, he granted the town
a charter as a vila (small town) in
1514.
The new town enjoyed great
development in the 16th century, mainly due to its strategic location on the
Lisbon-Coimbra-Porto road. It grew so much that in 1601 it already had 200
families (that is, between 800 and 1,000 people). Within the district of
Coimbra, it was also one of the main localities where noble families built and
lived in palaces and manor houses. Unfortunately, it was also among the places
that suffered most from the French invasions (in the early 19th century),
especially the 3rd French invasion in 1811, and several buildings were ransacked
and burned.
We
arrived at the Pousada de Santa Cristina
(aka Pousada de Condeixa-Coimbra) around 4 pm.
5:20 PM – Condeixa-a-Nova: Pousada de Santa Cristina – exterior front (from left).
The 4-star hotel Pousada Condeixa Coimbra (aka Pousada de Santa Cristina), at Rúa Francisco Lemos 43, is a
recently renovated building with a history that goes back to the 16th century. This
was originally location of the Paço dos Almadas, the home of the noble Almada family,
of which the eldest son since 1445 had been Count of Avranches. Over the years,
it hosted a number of members of European nobility. The great house of the 16th
century was burned down in 1811 when Napoleonic troops invaded. It remained in
ruins until 1853, when the Quaresma Lopes family acquired the property and
rebuilt it, placing their own coat of arms on the façade, where it still
remains. In 1937, the property passed to the family of the present owners, the
Sotto Mayor family, who also had a palatece
(small palace) of the late 19th century in Lisbon. It is from that small palace
that some of the neoclassical elements of decoration, including statues, came
to be applied in the interior of the Pousada. The current structure, renovated
in the classic Pombal style of the late 18th century, was built in 1993 with
the aim of being a hotel, regaining all its nobility after recent remodeling
work.
The current Pousada offers the
décor and old manor house atmosphere of the building and the tranquility of its
gardens and landscape. The classic furnishing of the public areas is enhanced
with 19th-century decorative wood-carved pieces, furniture, and tapestries. All
rooms have classic decoration and a balcony or terrace with a view of the vast
lawn and gardens, which now include a swimming pool. The hotel is part of the
Pousadas de Portugal group. (Pousada
means inn or hotel in Portuguese.)
Condeixa-a-Nova: carimbo stamp from Pousada de Santa Cristina that read “Sociedade
Hosteleira de Condeixa, Unipessoal, Lda., NIPC: 502 052 708” (Hotel Society of
Condeixa, Unipessoral, Ltd., NIPC [Número de Identificação de Pesoa Colectiva –
Fiscal Identification Number of Collective Person or tax number, for a company]:
502 052 708).
A
Unipessoral Lda is a joint-stock company
with a single shareholding and which holds the entire share capital of the
company. The member may be a collective or individual person, the liability of
which is limited to the amount of the capital stock. The company name must
include “Sociedade unipessoal” (meaning “single person company”) or “Unipessoal”
(“single person”) before the word “Limitada” (“limited”) or its abbreviation “Lda.”
In
2016 (since 2000), the Pousada de Condeixa-Coimbra belonged to the Sociedade
Hosteleira de Condeixa, Unipessoal, Lda., also known as Sociedade Hosteleira de
Condeixa, S.A., which had its headquarters located at Rúa Francisco Lemos 1/3,
Condeixa-a-Nova in the União das Freguesias (Union of Parishes) of Condeixa-a-vehla
e Condeixa-a-nova, concelho (municipality ) of Condeixa-a-Nova, distrito (district)
of Coimbra.
Since
18 April 2019, the company has been known as Conimbriga Hotel do Paço,
Unipessoal, Lda. The company’s activities include hotel, catering, and
traditional restaurants.
5:18 PM – Condeixa-a-Nova: Pousada de Santa
Cristina – exterior front (from right).
5:18 PM – Condeixa-a-Nova: sign out front for
“Pousada de Condeixa Coimbra.”
5:19 PM – Condeixa-a-Nova: Pousada de Santa
Cristina – coat of arms of Quaresma Lopes family above front door (telephoto
186 mm).
4:20 PM – Condeixa-a-Nova: pool and round
building on grounds behind Pousada de Santa Cristina (from window of our room).
MT 3:53 PM – Condeixa-a-Nova: pool and round
building on grounds behind Pousada de Santa Cristina (from ground level).
After
we got settled in, Don went out to explore part of the town, heading southwest
on Rua Francisco de Lemos toward the main square.
5:42 PM - Condeixa-a-Nova: wall around the
extensive grounds of Palácio dos Lemos, directly across the street (Rua
Francisco Lemos) from the Pousada.
5:42 PM - Condeixa-a-Nova: part of wall and
start of façade of Palácio dos Lemos, across the street (Rua Francisco Lemos)
from the Pousada.
5:23 PM – Condeixa-a-Nova: Palácio dos Lemos,
across the street (Rua Francisco Lemos) from the Pousada (from right).
The Palácio dos Lemos is one of the most important architectural features
of Condeixa-a-Nova. The civil architecture building was constructed in the 17th
century and restructured during the Pombal Period (1750-1777, the period in
which the Marquis de Pombal was Portuguese prime minister). The palace took its
name from the noble family that owned and lived in it. Thus, it was originally
known as Palácio dos Ramalhos de Condeixa and later as Palácio dos Lemos
Ramalho or just Palácio dos Lemos. It is located on Rua Francisco de Lemos,
formerly the old Rua de São João but renamed after Dr. Francisco de Lemos
Ramalho Countinho, the first president of the Câmara Municipal (Municipal
Council).
The palace consists of a long
façade showcasing the Lemos and Ramalhos coat of arms. The façade is flanked by
two small towers. The entrance is covered by a pediment rising above the
cornice. The central body has a triangle with coat of arms, and the rest of the
façade has simple windows on the ground floor and more decorative windows with
balconies on the (upper) “noble” floor. The palace has a chapel dedicated to
Nossa Senhora de Píedade (Our Lady of Mercy), built in 1732. In that chapel,
there was a polychrome stone image of Our Lady of Mercy. When the Lemos family
sold the property, it took with it that image, which was replaced with a notable
wooden pietá by the Spanish sculptor José Planas (1922).
In 1920, the palace was acquired
by Dr. Cándido Sotto Mayor, and also became known as Palácio Sotto Mayor. The palace,
which is still private property, is surrounded by orchards and beautiful
gardens. It has been classified as an Imóvel
de Interesse Público (Property of Public Interest).
5:24 PM – Condeixa-a-Nova: Palácio dos Lemos –
main door in façade, across from Pousada.
5:22 PM – Condeixa-a-Nova: Palácio dos Lemos,
just down the street from the Pousada (from right).
5:26 PM – Condeixa-a-Nova: building with blue
and white azulejo tiles on Rua
Francisco de Lemos.
5:27 PM – Condeixa-a-Nova: one of the Stations
of the Cross with blue and white azulejo
tiles of Christ falling while carrying the cross, with date “1752,” on building
farther down Rua Francisco de Lemos.
5:28 PM - Condeixa-a-Nova: Santa Casa de
Misericórdia (Holy House of Mercy) on near side of Praça de República.
On the far side of Praça de República was the Igreja Matriz de Condeixa. Since Don’s wristwatch had stopped working the day before, he was relying on the clock on the church tower. Eventually, he noticed that the clock was always at 6:00.
5:37 PM - Condeixa-a-Nova: Igreja Matriz (N
side) on far side of Praça de República.
5:30 PM - Condeixa-a-Nova: Igreja Matriz (N
side) on far side of Praça de República.
The Igreja Matriz de Condeixa (aka Igreja
de Santa Cristina) was built in the 16th century, at the direction of King
Manuel I, to replace an older church at the same place. When Manuel I
supposedly passed through Condeixa-a-Velha (Condeixa the Old) in 1502 on his
way to Santiago de Compostela, some local notables are said to have showed him
the church (perhaps only a chapel) that was very old and almost in ruins.
Therefore, the King ordered a new church to be built, and it was commissioned
by the Monastery of Santa Cruz in Coimbra, which owned vast areas of land
nearby. It was completed in 1543 and was ransacked and burned down in 1811,
during the French invasions. Rebuilding after that gave it the neoclassical
style it has today. On façade of the church, in low relief, is the coat of arms
and the crown used in the reign of Queen María I (ruled 1777-1816), during
whose reign the church was rebuilt. Further restoration work was done at the
end of the 19th century. The church has been classified as an Imóvel de Interesse Público (Property of
Public Interest).
In the interior, the church has
11 chapels: the main chapel (chancel), plus 5 smaller chapels on each side of
the nave. However, the present church, after many restorations, has few traces
of the original church. It still conserves the baptismal font and the vault of
the main chapel (chancel or presbytery), of the Manueline style characteristic
of the 16th century, and the arch of the Capela de of San Francisco, the Capela
de Santa Teresa and the Capela do Senhor dos Passos, of Renaissance
inspiration. These features were preserved in restorations at the end of the
20th century.
The bell tower has four bell
arches, each with its own bell. The bells date from the late 18th and early
19th centuries.
“Building
of religious architecture dedicated to Santa Cristina – Saint Cristina.
“King
D. Manuel ordered its construction in the 16th century, during his visit to the
town. In 1811 the town was targeted by French troops commanded by General
Massena, who destroyed the building and much of its valuable interior
furnishing.
“It
was restored in 1821, losing much of its initial identity. This church is
representative of various architectural styles: Manueline – a unique Portuguese
style under D. Manuel rein [sic!] (presbytery and baptismal font), Renaissance,
Neoclassical (façade) and Neo-Renaissance.”
The
sign also has photos of the coat of arms of Queen María I on the façade and one
of the bells in the tower.
5:31 PM - Condeixa-a-Nova: Igreja Matriz –
interior, view from rear of nave to apse.
5:34 PM - Condeixa-a-Nova: Igreja Matriz –
statue (probably of Santa Cristina) on main altar (telephoto 133 mm).
5:35 PM - Condeixa-a-Nova: Igreja Matriz –
left side of nave with two of the side altars and, higher up, a possible box
for nobles.
Behind the iron bars of this box
is a black curtain embroidered with a coat
of arms (a grid with a column in its middle) and a marquis’ crown above it.
In the tympanum above the arch for the side altar on the right is another coat
of arms (apparently the same one, with a column in the center of a grid) with a
crown above it.
This coat of arms belongs to the
Casa de Anadia (House of Anadia) and the Visconde de Alverca (Viscount of
Alverca), of the Sá family of Portuguese nobility. Viscount of Alverca is a
title first granted in 1795 to José António de Sá Pereira e Menezes de Mello e
Sottomayor, 3rd Viscount of Anadia as a member of a branch of the Sá family in
Condeixa and an ancestor of the Sotto Mayor family that currently owns the
Palácio dos Lemos (Palácio Sotto Mayor).
5:35 PM (Cropped) - Condeixa-a-Nova: Igreja
Matriz – left side of nave with same coat of arms on curtain in box for nobles
and on tympanum of arch for side altar on right.
5:36 PM - Condeixa-a-Nova: Igreja Matriz –
baptismal font behind balustrade, at rear of nave.
In the baptistery, under the
tower, the baptismal font is in the
Manueline style of the early 16th century, well framed and with some
naturalistic ornaments.
Around 5:45 pm, Don returned to the Pousada.
5:45 PM - Condeixa-a-Nova: Pousada de
Condeixa-Coimbra – old engraved picture of Porto in Pousada lobby.
At 7:30 pm, we went to dinner (included in Half Board) in the Restaurante da Pousada de Condeixa-Coimbra.
7:33 PM - Condeixa-a-Nova: Restaurante da
Pousada de Condeixa-Coimbra – main course menu.
We got 2 glasses of red wine (we had to pay €3.50 each, since it was not included); MT got a bottle of sparkling water; Don got “still” water. Appetizers: small toast and olives; 1st course: MT melon soup/Don mixed salad; 2nd course: both got Tradicional “Tibornada” de bacalhau com batatinhas assadas no sal, azeite e alho (Traditional grilled codfish with roasted potatoes in salt, olive oil and garlic); desert: both had passion fruit cheesecake. We also got raisin bread (a choice).
MT 7:33 PM - Condeixa-a-Nova: Restaurante da
Pousada de Condeixa-Coimbra – Don with red wine.
8:02 PM - Condeixa-a-Nova: Restaurante da
Pousada de Condeixa-Coimbra – Don’s tibornada
de bacalhau.
“Tibornada de bacalhau” translates as “cod tibur” or “codfish
tequila.” The word tiborna means hot
bread soaked in or smeared with new olive oil. The combination of this new oil
with cod is a very common traditional Portuguese cuisine. In the traditional
Portuguese tequila, the cod is grilled with lots of olive oil and accompanied
by potatoes.
After dinner, we repeated Don’s short walk to the Igreja Matriz and back.
Then the desk clerk at the Pousada helped us find a shorter way to get back on the Camino route (according to Brierley’s guidebook, Condeixa-a-Nova was actually a detour off the route). He also told us that the Palácio dos Lemos still belongs to a family and that the palace was not destroyed by the French invaders because the Lemos family were friends of Napoleon.
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