#arronches

A pretty and pretty small town in Alentejo called Arronches: six alternative takes.

The Parish Church of Arronches is a XVI Century temple that started to be built during according to the Portuguese Style (ie, Manueline) and was finished when the Roman Style (ie Renaissance) already dominated the European Architecture.

The plan of the church is 100 pc Manueline - it's a hallenkirche, a solution that is common in Portuguese temples from this period. The side portal (upper photo) is also Manueline, but the main portal (all the lower photos) is a fine example of the Renaissance style; at first glance, they may look completely different, but, if you look closely, you shall notice that both have semi-circular arches and both are framed by a straight lintel portal - and both sign a rupture with the pointed arches of the Gothic architecture. The big differences between these two styles are in the iconography and the aesthetic language - the structure of Renaissance portals is, indeed, an evolution of the Manueline doors and this is a good evidence of that. Sadly, many art historians are too dumb and too blind to see this.

In case you still don't know where I am living, I am stuck (that's the word) in the county of Arronches, in the interior of Portugal. It may not be my cup of tea, but it certainly is a beautiful small town, long-forgotten in the depths of the Upper/Alto Alentejo.