Chapel of São Miguel

Monsanto

The chapel today is isolated in the northeast area of the castle, and Monsanto’s Medieval settlement grew up around it. The floor plan of the temple has a single nave and chancel. The facade has a doorway with a semi-circular arch. The sparse decoration is only lively in the zoomorphism of the imposts and otherwise only in the modillions, whilst remains of painted mortar hint at supressed ornamentation. The bell tower was built on an overlooking rocky outcropping. It construction dates from the late 12th or early 13th centuries. Older findings, however, point to a previous temple. Its good present-day appearance results from restoration works in the mid-20th century: a simple building divested of archaic architecture, justified by its outlying border location, which was not totally pacified at the time.