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GPS 39.67200504007923, -31.111552011423502

The Church of Nossa Senhora dos Milagres is located in Vila do Corvo, on the island of Corvo, in the Azores.

History

The first temple erected on the island is a simple hermitage, of small dimensions, under the invocation of Nossa Senhora do Rosário, located by the sea. Here the people of Corvo fulfilled their Paschal precept, for which a clergyman from the neighboring island of Flores came here every year during Lent.

It was destroyed during the incursion of Barbary pirates to the island in 1632, from when the image of Our Lady came to be referred to as Senhora dos Milagres.

In 1674, Corvo was elevated to a parish. On that occasion, care was taken to erect the parish church, dedicating it to Nossa Senhora dos Milagres and endowing it with a vicar, a priest and treasurer.

The temple was rebuilt in 1795, measuring 26 meters long and 7 meters wide.

It was consumed by a violent fire in 1932, in which very rich implements were lost. However, the Image of Nossa Senhora dos Milagres was saved, which tradition refers to having been found in the sea. The temple was subsequently restored.

Currently, it constitutes a building set protected by Resolution No. 69/97, of April 10, of the Regional Government of the Azores and is part of the "Inventory of the Historical and Religious Heritage of the island of Corvo".

The feast of the patron saint is celebrated annually on the 15th of August and attracts hundreds of people from the neighboring island.

Characteristics

The temple, built in plastered stone masonry and painted white, with the exception of the base, the corners, the cornice and the frames of the openings, painted gray. On the main façade, with a simple façade, an axial portal topped by a frame stands out. Inside there is a stone plaque with the date "1795", the date of the first construction, flanked by two windows. It is topped by a pediment topped by a stone cross. The roof is gabled and covered with industrially produced half-round tiles.

Still outside, on the right side stands the bell tower, rectangular in plan. The openings of the belfry are torn in it in a perfect round arch, and it is topped by a faceted spire with pinnacles on the corners.

Internally, it has a single nave, equipped with a sacristy and a baptistery located on the side of the epistle. The pulpit is located on the Gospel side.

At the back of the nave are two altars, one dedicated to Nossa Senhora do Carmo (on the Gospel side) and the other dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus (on the Epistle side).

The image of the patron saint is Nossa Senhora dos Milagres, of Flemish origin, and dates back to the 16th century. According to local legend, the small image was found in the sea. It stands out for its cut and for the magnificent adornments with which it has been endowed over the centuries: gold crown and rosary, silk capes and mantles trimmed with gold.