Evora - Part 6 - Renaissance

18 November 2007

The Renaissance is a mixed period in the city. Royal favour shown by King João II and his successor Manuel I (1495-1521) had resulted in Évora becoming one of the most important centers in 16^th century Portugal, including for a time the status of capital. This produced significant new construction including the Church of St. Francis (see Medieval Évora). A strategic decision was taken to make the city a virile power center.

It was King João III (1521-1557) whose patronage provided the requisite impulse for the regeneration of the city with works fit for a capital. The court was filled with Latin poets and avant-garde artists and sculptors.

From 1537, however, the court abandoned the city leaving it in the hands of the increasingly powerful archbishops and the Counter-Reformation. With the founding of the Jesuit university (1559) and the adjoining Colegio Espiritu Santo (Holy Spirit College) and Church (1566), a reaction set in against the free Humanism of the earlier part of the century.

The buildings flowing from this new influence are more stark and simplistic, some would say dry and austere.

But before this the flowering of the Renaissance was in full bloom as seen in Our Lady of Grace Church.

The façade (1537-40) is the most notable decorative effort of the Renaissance in Portugal. It is surprising for the novelty of style and, in particular for the profane boldness of the statues. Those responsible for this beautiful extravagance are the architect (Miguel de Arruda, the sculptor (Nicolau Chanterene) and for the iconographic design probably André de Resende.

The church originally a small public chapel, was given by the bishop in 1520 to the Augustine monks who integrated it with a small monastery near the chapel. The major works that created the church of today were done under the patronage of King João III.

The four statues decorating the pediment of the church are thought to be 4 giants symbolising the four corners of the earth and thus Portugal’s maritime might.

They are affectionately known by the Évorans as the “Children” of Grace.

Évora is an enchanting, accessible walled city with well preserved sites within walking distance of one another. Unlike Arles in France, the other major walled city we visited (see January 2007), Évora is clean, the people are friendly, and the staff of the tourism office are informed, friendly and invariably patient. And they are focused on the people in front of them at the counter, not on their computer and some prospective visitors out there in computer land. We were only able to scratch the surface in 2½ days. We would recommend a longer visit. But time pushes on … or is it back? Tomorrow we will move back in time to the Neolithic age and the next day we will start south for the bustle of the Algarve and the coast.