Visit the Church of San Salvador - Carrazeda de Ansiães

The church of S. Salvador, located in the Town of Carrazeda de ansiães, is a rare and remarkable example of Romanesque architecture. Its foundation must go back to the twelfth century and it is thought that their patron saint would have been primitive S. Pelagius. In 1431 found himself ruined, but in 1447 they proceeded to rebuild and, although the Gothic style was so dominant, it was with the primitive forms that was rebuilt. With the decline and abandonment of Ansiães village, the church was also abandoned and left in ruins. However restored, is one of the main interests of the municipality of Carrazeda de ansiães.
This is a longitudinal plan of the temple consists of a nave and chancel, and abroad, the right side, a rectangular funerary chapel. The main facade is oriented to the west, the portal presents the most important examples of Romanesque sculptural grammar of Portuguese (see image above).
This consists of four full archivolts, based on eight capitals decorated with zoomorphic and anthropomorphic, framing the tympanum figuring most canonical of all national Romanesque: presents us with Christ in Majesty, surrounded by Tetramorph, played with some freedom but with the symbols of the evangelists in the correct positions hierarchically: the angel of S. Matthew (right) and the eagle of S. John, above, respectively, the bull of St. Luke and the lion S. Mark, both wings. Taken together hold the mandorla mystical place into which Christ is inaugurated, the conventional position blessing, right hand raised to the index and middle fingers stretched, while the left hand holds the Holy Book. Surrounding the eardrum, in the second archivolt the portal, the apostles are represented, albeit incomplete, are only nine, including two two readily identifiable by their attributes: S. Peter and Paul. More problematic is the identification of two characters on both sides of the boot archivolt this: on the left will perhaps Judas, carrying in her arms the devil, the price for his betrayal of Christ, the opposite appears to us an elder at a higher scale all other figures, and carrying a book of square format. Is perhaps Moses and the "book", the Tablets of the Law This archivolt thus delimit a symbolic journey that goes from the precursor of Commandments to the precursor of the Passion of Christ, which is merely the first step toward the salvation of mankind.
The front side of the right side has two openings for light, almost next to the mantel, and a door arch decorated with palmettes / whipsaws. The capitals are decorated with "inverted hearts." The tympanum bears a cross pattée leaked, being adorned with the vain several lobules. In a mass significantly advanced the chancel opens a Arcosolium arc broken ground on a capital of vegan.
The facade of the left side shows signs of having another construction addorsed it. It also shows two holes and a door as decoration, has only a cross pattée poured into the eardrum. The side walls feature throughout its length a dog, some dogs furnished with zoomorphic motifs.
Inside the ship's connection to the presbytery is made by a triumphal arch decorated with a full palmettes, supported by cordiformes imposed. In the nave there is a small museum, which include fragments of the pillory and Ansiães sepulchral stelae decorated with symbols from the sun, and Templar Maltese crosses and Jewish stars.
Outside, attached to the left side of the main facade, we have the funeral chapel of N. Mrs. Grace, Sampaio pantheon family, home, under Arcosolium ogival, four medieval tombs, granite tops with two faces. It is also a Romanesque in ashlars granite, measuring 4x3 meters. The entrance to the chapel is by a side door in perfect arch, with reentrant eardrum, which is inscribed a cross pattée, which is the only decoration. This chapel has no coverage.