Our Lady of Penha hermitage - viewpoint
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Prior to 1570, built in the golden age of Portuguese Renaissance, the chapel of N. Sra. da Penha (Our Lady of Penha) is accessed by a steep staircase, it has a hinged trapezoidal ship with rectangular sacristy and chapel with semicircular roof covered with tiles from the seventeenth century, with cobs or pine cones with beading of acanthus (the same standard of N. Sra. da Alegria church, in Castelo de Vide), blue, yellow and white, under whose dome has a typical altar in Baroque style. The image of Our Lady of Penha was stolen and the one there is a copy, still venerated by the population, in the 1st week of August. The south wall integrates the existing granite outcrop on site. On the facade features a panel of tiles showing Our Lady of Penha and a cross in granite at the top. In the churchyard is a twentieth century cruise.
Isolated at the top of São Paulo hills, 710 m above sea level and about 1 km southwest of Castelo de Vide, it’s a wonderful place to enjoy the scenic surroundings: the village, its castle, white houses, and fields; the monumental quartz ridge with Marvão at the top, to the East is Sever river delimiting the border with Spain and Açor, Gardunha and Estrela mountains to the North.
Try to observe the birds jiggling and flying around, including the Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros) and the Blue Rock-thrush (Monticola solitarius), as well as some birds of prey, including the Booted Eagle (Aquila pennata). By night, the Tawny Owl (Strix aluco) scary cry can be eared here.
Inaugurated in 1990, the fountain near the chapel, is by master António Ventura Porfírio (born in Castelo de Vide he was a painter and curator of Queluz Palace, near Sintra), and the water is collected from inside the mountain through a borehole.
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Prior to 1570, built in the golden age of Portuguese Renaissance, the chapel of N. Sra. da Penha (Our Lady of Penha) is accessed by a steep staircase, it has a hinged trapezoidal ship with rectangular sacristy and chapel with semicircular roof covered with tiles from the seventeenth century, with cobs or pine cones with beading of acanthus (the same standard of N. Sra. da Alegria church, in Castelo de Vide), blue, yellow and white, under whose dome has a typical altar in Baroque style. The image of Our Lady of Penha was stolen and the one there is a copy, still venerated by the population, in the 1st week of August. The south wall integrates the existing granite outcrop on site. On the facade features a panel of tiles showing Our Lady of Penha and a cross in granite at the top. In the churchyard is a twentieth century cruise.
Isolated at the top of São Paulo hills, 710 m above sea level and about 1 km southwest of Castelo de Vide, it’s a wonderful place to enjoy the scenic surroundings: the village, its castle, white houses, and fields; the monumental quartz ridge with Marvão at the top, to the East is Sever river delimiting the border with Spain and Açor, Gardunha and Estrela mountains to the North.
Try to observe the birds jiggling and flying around, including the Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros) and the Blue Rock-thrush (Monticola solitarius), as well as some birds of prey, including the Booted Eagle (Aquila pennata). By night, the Tawny Owl (Strix aluco) scary cry can be eared here.
Inaugurated in 1990, the fountain near the chapel, is by master António Ventura Porfírio (born in Castelo de Vide he was a painter and curator of Queluz Palace, near Sintra), and the water is collected from inside the mountain through a borehole.
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Alentejo
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Castelo de Vide
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Serra de S. Mamede Nature Park
Identification and Access
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Yes
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Access from:
- Castelo de Vide (about 10 min., 3.5 km) – take N246-1 and after more or less 2 km turn left to M1008, juts to the parking next to the hermitage.
Base Characterization
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Touristic
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On the top of the hills, surrounded by forest.
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Public
Tips
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On the first week of August take part on the feast of Our Lady of Penha.
If you walk up the steep road leading to the chapel, try to observe and listen to the Eurasian Jay (Garrulus glandarius) and other forest birds such as tits, including the Crested Tit (Lophophanes cristatus), Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (Dryobates minor), Short-toed Treecreeper (Certhia brachydactyla) and Wood Nuthatch (Sitta europaea) - looking for insects in trees bark.
