Church of Santa Maria do Castelo, Vila Viçosa, Portugal

The church of Santa Maria do Castelo stands within the castle walls and was built between 1569 and 1606, by order of King D. Sebastião, to replace the old medieval church.
Decades later, in 1640, the church became an important national symbol when King D. João IV consecrated the crown of the Virgin Mary, proclaiming her the Queen and Patroness of Portugal, after which the Portuguese monarchs never wore the crown again.
The church was badly damaged by the earthquake of 1755, which killed 29 people inside the church. The restoration works were slow and only ended in the 19th century.




King D. José with the crown beside him and not on his head (Wikipedia)

Local: R. de Nossa Sra. 2, 7160 Vila Viçosa, Portugal

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