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U.Porto Memory

Rectory Building of the U.Porto - Urban Environment

Nossa Senhora da Vitória Church

The services of the parish of Nossa Senhora da Vitória, established by Bishop D. Frei Marcos of Lisbon (1581-1591), were transferred in 1755 to the Chapel of S. José das Taipas. This decision was due to the degraded state of the church, in need of a thorough renovation. The works began in 1758 by order of Bishop D. Frei António de Sousa (1758-1766) and the temple, almost entirely rebuilt, was opened on 5 August 1769.

During the 19^th century, the church suffered several damages. First, during the Siege of Porto (1832-1833), forcing the transfer of the church’s activities to the neighbouring church of Monastery of São Bento da Vitória; then in 1874, when it was struck by a devastating fire.

This Baroque temple is situated at the junction of Rua de S. Bento da Vitória and Rua da Bataria da Vitória. The name "Bataria da Vitória" refers to a liberal battery during the Siege of Porto which shot at the D.Miguel supporters on the south bank of the Douro River (S. V. Coelho, 1994). There is still a bullet in the side wall, near the south door. Facing a walled area, the church is an excellent belvedere from where we can see the historical centres of Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia.

Nossa Senhora da Vitória Church consists of a single nave, a rectangular top and a bell tower set against the chancel. The rectory and sacristy flank the rear façade. The symmetric frontispiece is decorated with curved and triangular gables, niches, Corinthian columns and the coats of arms of the Sousa e Arronches family. The decorative group is topped with a sun element in the tympanum.

The interior of the church has various artistic elements: gilt woodcarvings by Porto Rococo artists, Francisco Pereira Campanhã, author of the altarpiece (dated 1765 and altered by his son, the woodcarver Damião Pereira de Azevedo, in 1780) and José Teixeira Guimarães, responsible for the pulpits, side altarpieces (1772-1773) and the crosspiece of the arch. The altarpiece boasts a painting by João Glama Stroberle (1708-1792) and an image by the sculptor António Soares dos Reis, both alluding to the patron saint of the church.

The sculpture of Senhora da Vitória on a side altar does not show the original head, shaped by master Soares dos Reis, who may have used his own mother as the model for the piece. The humanity of the image did not please the brotherhood who commissioned the work, which replaced it with a minor work done by a stone mason. However, the original work was saved by Father Agostinho Jardim and today can be seen with prior authorisation.