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Tradition credits the Canons Regular of Saint Augustine for having founded a small monastery in Ribas.
It would be up to D. João Peculiar, archbishop of Braga, to protect the monastery marked by the presence of father D. Mendo, whose body would provide miracles long after his death in 1170, although this has not been proved by documents.
We should point out the homogeneity of the Church of Ribas, which must have been built in one go.
The decoration shows great consistency in its preference for pearl motif, which appears both inside and outside the Church.
Inside, as with most Romanesque churches, another spirit prevails, marked by the counter-reformation and by liturgical renewal following the Council of Trent (1545-1563).
Examples of this include the exuberance of the gilding in altarpieces [altars] and valance that crowns and covers the triumphal arch, the sectioned box ceiling and the choir balustrade.
Noteworthy from this set are images of the Holy Savior, the Virgin of the Valley and the Virgin of the Rosary. In the backwall of the chancel, behind the altarpiece [altar], a major campaign of mural paintings was identified, where the patron saint of the Church is depicted.
Type: Church
Classification: Submitted to classification
Route: Tâmega Valley
12th century - Probable existence of a hermitage where the Saviour was worshipped;
1220 - The “Inquirições” [administrative enquiries] of King D. Afonso II mention that the Church of Ribas were not part of the royal patronage;
1258 - The witnesses of the “Inquirições” [administrative enquiries] of King Afonso III mention that the patronage of the Church of Ribas belonged to some knights and governors;
1269 - Probable date for the edification of the subsisting Church;
1320 - The Church of Ribas is taxed in 350 Portuguese libras to support the Crusades;
1565 - The date suggested by tradition for the exhumation of the body of the blessed D. Mendo, who would have been buried here in 1170;
1726 - The only trace of the worship of the blessed D. Mendo is the tooth that was used against the bite of mad dogs;
1758 - The Church had four altars and there is no mention to traces of the cloister and/or monastic outbuildings;
1878 - Pinho Leal says that part of the monastery still existed and served as the parish priest residence;
1970 - Records about building works in the Church, made at the parish's expense;
2000-2001 - Records about building works in the Church, made at the parish's expense;
2010 - Integration of the Church of the Saviour of Ribas in the Route of the Romanesque.
Divine Saviour - 6th August
By appointment
Saturday - 5 pm/7 pm (winter/summer); Sunday - 9 am
Monument fully or partly accessible to visitors with reduced mobility.
+351 255 810 706
+351 918 116 488
visitasrr@valsousa.pt
