page_title: Church of Atalaia
section_title: Architecture
hierarchical_section_title: Church of Atalaia / Architecture
caption_attribution_description: Portal of the church of Atalaia (Vila Nova da Barquinha, Portugal)
context_page_description: The Church of Atalaia is a church in the civil parish of Atalaia, municipality of Vila Nova da Barquinha, in the Centro region of Portugal. The Renaissance-era religious building, has been molded by successive layers of Mannerist and Baroque decorative and structural elements, that include the portico, but whose origin dates to the Gothic architecture of the early 16th century. The unique central tower, Baroque azulejo tile-work and 16th century pulpit are important characteristics of this parish church.
context_section_description: The church is located in an urban context, fronted by a public roadway and encircled by small public space.
  The longitudinal plan features a central nave and transept, but departs from the traditional standards. The main face of the church is defined by a bell-tower and lateral extensions; rounded gables extend from the belltower/entrance facade topped with corners and pilasters decorated with pinnacles. These extensions serve as lateral "entrances" to the public spaces, with their own rounded arches.
  The four-story, central body includes a portico and entablature with jamb supporting a large window, crowned by tympanum by João de Ruão. In Roman arch portico with square soffits, is decorated with rosettas and stars, delimited by pilasters and an entablature. The arch stands on a frame consisting of decorated pilasters and small columnar balustrades. Over the archivolts are decorated astragali, while flanking the door are pilasters divided by cornices with niches that contain the relief images of Saint Peter and Saint Paul (on either side), surmounted by urns. In bass relief are two profiles: on the left, a male figure, and on the right a female figure. The entablature, with sculpted frieze, has the coat-of-arms of the Cantanhede family, while the on either extreme ends of the architrave are two decorative spires.
  Flanking the main entrance are two large grated, rectangular windows, midway between the door frame and surmounted window (in the center). While the base is interrupted by a staircase of two flights, of three steps (providing access to the main portico), the three subsequent registers extend above the main entrance. This central block (consisting of separate registers for the portico, window, bell-tower and clock) were constructed in the Renaissance-era style, and distinguishable from the younger elements. The belfry includes two rounded arches on the front and back facades, while single arches on lateral faces. Meanwhile, the clock face only appears on the front face of the tower, with lateral arch openings on either side.
caption: The main portico of the facade/tower of the church
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