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The small Chapel of Sao Pedro de Balsemao, is situated in the civil parish of Sé, municipality of Lamego in the northern region of Portugal). It was a Visigothic sanctuary dating back to the 7th century, although it has Baroque elements, in particular, in the South Gate and the western facade, which adjoins a later residential building. ==History== The chapel encompasses a period of both Visigothic dominance (6th–7th century) and the expansion of the Kingdom of Asturias (9th–10th century) .〔 In the location of the chapel, or relatively close by, was a Roman ''villa'', which can be dated from some ''terminus augustalis'' inscriptions from the period of Claudius on parts of the building which were later used as altars.〔〔Alarcão (1990), vol.1, p.377〕 The construction of the chapel occurred in an undetermined point in the high Middle Ages. Defenders of the Visigothic chronology of events, point to an inscription dated from 588.〔〔Correio (1928), p.373〕 Other arguments, enunciated by Lampérez y Romea, point to the triumphal arch and ''basilica''-like plan that was adapted to favour its Visiothic origins.〔 The idea of a 6th–7th century church gained favour directly and was repeated by other authors, such as Schlunk, Fernando de Almeida and Hauschild, among others. But in recent years, the hypothesis that the church was a 9th or early 10th century construction has been advanced.〔 First, by Joaquim de Vasconcelos, who used the church of São Pedro de Lourosa (dated 912), but later by Real, Ferreira de Almeida, Barroca and Teixeira, in addition to others.〔 By the 6th century, Balsemão was already an ecclesiastical parish. In the 10th century, with the repopulation of the area, the church was renovated. The details of this are not fully understood, but there are indications that it amounted to general maintenance of the existing structure. During the 13th century Inquirições, the area was identified in records establishing the existence of the parochial sanctuary.〔 In 1562, the construction of the altar in the name of ''Santa Maria'' was completed, under the direction of the head of the ''Quinta da Régua'', Bishop Afonso Pires.〔 In the early Middle Ages the church was the see of the Porto Bishop D. Afonso Pires, who was, upon his death buried in the apse in a Gothic tomb supported by sculptures depicting of Calvary. The church was profoundly transformed after the 14th century, when the Bishop of Porto, Afonso Pires, selected the chapel to bury his earthly remains, ''"redoing the church entirely"''.〔〔Almeida (2001), p.31〕 In addition to his sarcophagus, today located in the principal nave, there are few remnants of this changes, which (by 1643) Luís Pinto de Sousa Coutinho had integrated into his estate.〔 The new landowner was also responsible for restoring and integrating the styles of his mansion with the chapel, expanding the staircase and affixing heraldic arms on the principal façade. He also reconstructed the building, converting the medieval chapel's exterior into a 17th-century building.〔 By the 18th century, the chapel was used as a family vault of the land owners. It was restored in the mid-20th century. On 14 September 1981, the property was transferred into the hands of the IPPAR ''Instituto Português do Património Arquitectónico'', forerunner of the IGESPAR ''Instituto de Gestão do Património Arquitectónico e Arqueológico''.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Chapel of São Pedro de Balsemão」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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