Versão portuguesa aqui.
GPS 32.64816856472793, -16.97528441606652
The chapel of Nossa Senhora da Conceição, also known as Capela da Nossa Senhora do Calhau, is a chapel built in the municipality of Câmara de Lobos, Madeira, Portugal and is located in the bay of Câmara de Lobos next to the fishing boats. The annual festival in honor of Our Lady takes place on December 8th and aims to give thanks for the rescued fishermen and to implore that nothing bad happens to them today.
History
At the time of the settlement of Madeira Island, a colony of Portuguese fishermen settled in Câmara de Lobos, especially in the rocky area of the islet. These fishermen had a hard and risky life with many torments and anxieties, and due to these facts they implored Divine protection, so they took Our Lady of Conception as their helper, a Saint whom they adored with great faith. Due to the easy access to the sea and the excellent weather conditions, this colony took root, reaching the present day. According to Father Pita Ferreira, Madeiran historian “The foundation of the chapel of Nossa Senhora da Conceição was lost in time, there is no reliable source that proves the construction of this chapel and some historians, such as myself, establish its construction at the beginning of the century XV, having been built at the behest of João Gonçalves Zarco in the year 1420, and was, in its genesis, named by Nossa Senhora do Calhau.” In 1702, due to the degradation of the chapel, it was rebuilt under the condition that the image of Our Lady was on the new altar and that 12 graves were reserved in the same church to bury the slave brothers of the Confraria da Conceição. In 1723 there were major improvements, highlighting the altarpiece and chancel in gilded carving. On the walls there are 17 panels by Nicolau Ferreira (an 18th-century Madeiran painter), with themes linked to the life of São Pedro Gonçalves Telmo and some biblical scenes, representing the mysteries (The presentation, The flight to Egypt, Jesus among the doctors , Epiphany, Annunciation to the Virgin Mary, The Visitation, The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple), canvases dating from 1791.
Artistic characteristics
The altarpiece on the high altar, in gilded woodcarving, in the style of the 18th-century baroque, features twisted or Solomonic columns, with plant motifs alluding to the iconography of the vine. The existence of two sculptures is known, one of Nossa Senhora da Conceição and the other referring to São Pedro Telmo, also with Baroque characteristics, without references about their dating. The ceiling has paintings dedicated to the Immaculate Conception and the life of São Pedro Gonçalves Telmo. Also noteworthy are two tombs from the end of the 16th century, one of them with an epitaph referring to Dona Joana de Atouguia, a lady of the ancient nobility, wife of Mendo Roiz de Vasconcelos, of Zarco lineage, with a pantheon established in the convent of São Bernardino from Camara de Lobos. In 1908, the chapel underwent some conservation and restoration work carried out by the Madeiran painter Luís Bernes, with repainting of the panels by Nicolau Ferreira. This intervention was immensely criticized, with some accusations made against the restorer for having devalued the original painting and having signed one of them, in a supposed attempt to claim its authorship. Currently, the chapel of Nossa Senhora da Conceição has a simple rectangular plan on the outside, a façade with an arched portal and a triangular pediment between spans, while its interior is decorated with marble. Nowadays, it is also one of the main points of visit for tourists traveling to Câmara de Lobos. Its small space holds one of the greatest Ex libris of Madeiran Baroque Art that must be preserved with all the necessary care.
