Igreja Matriz de Estômbar

A Igreja Matriz de Estômbar, ou Igreja de São Tiago, é um Monumento Nacional (decreto - lei 29/84 de 25/6) edificado no século XVI em honra de São Tiago. Situa-se no centro da freguesia de Estômbar, concelho de Lagoa. Foi reconstruida no século XVIII. Dentro desta bonita igreja, encontram-se azulejos da Capela-Mor, pintados em 1719.

The first substantial church was probably erected in Estômbar in the first half of the 16th century. The style of the main door of the church and its affinity to similar buildings such as the principal churches of Alvor and of Odiáxere, and Santa Misericórdia Church of Silves suggests the existence of a regional sub-group of Manueline architecture in the Algarve. The popular prevailing style of the time is reflected in this church: a tripartite nave with a wooden ceiling, no transept, and altars at the head of the nave on each side of the chancel, as well as side chapels.

The earlier church was badly damaged in the 1755 Earthquake during which the bell tower collapsed. The Manueline doorway survived, as did the tiling in the chancel end. Reconstruction took a number of years since various of alterations were introduced, including the replacement of the original interior columns with cylindrical classical ones reflecting contemporary taste (a revival of the style of the second half of the sixteenth century) similar to what occurred in Lagoa and St. Peter (São Pedro) of Faro.

It is thought that, as in Lagoa, the Faro master carver Manuel Francisco Xavier, among others, played a part in the design and supervision of the reconstruction. We have a record of Xavier resigning his contract in 1769 because of the death of one of his partners.

^{Fonte:Wikipédia.}