Misericórdia of Arouca Chapel

The frontispiece mentions that the devotees have built it in 1612. The subtle chapel of Santa Casa da Misericórdia is located in the northernmost of Brandão de Vasconcelos Square. Its sober lines and its body leading to the ancient chamber house invite us to cross the square and satisfy the curiosity. The ceiling of the main aisle presents interesting paintings of some of the most relevant saints of the Catholic Church, with particular reference to the apostles, evangelists, doctors of the church and some other saints of popular devotion. The iconography leads immediately to the scenes from the Passion of Christ, that have been very well studied and cultivated by the Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Arouca, and of which the Procissão dos Fogaréus (Bonfire Procession), happening every Wednesday of the week before Easter, represents the culminating point.

The space is small, but welcoming, and the sacristy and the dispatch house host an interesting and rich collection of paintings, sculpture, liturgical implement and paraments, from the 17^th century to the 19^th century, as a consequence of several artistic influences, from the mannerism, to the baroque and neoclassical styles. Here we can learn a little about the history of the Misericórdias (Mercies) that, over centuries, have not only dedicated to the protection of the most disadvantaged, but also to the preservation and enhancement of the heritage.