Monuments

Around 8 kilometres from Monção (on the EN 304), there is the Romanic church of St. John of Longosvales. It belonged to a Monastery of Cónegos Regrantes de Santo Agostinho, built at the end of the 12th century during the reign of the first king of Portugal, Afonso Henriques (1139-85).

The special worth of this church lies in its upper section, considered a defining example of northern artistry as influenced by the Tuy centre of Galicia. Smaller than the body of the church, it reveals the style of construction at a time when buildings were completed in stages. It was the first part to be built so as to enable services to be held, hence, the triumphal arch, with its four circular rings, seems like an entranceway and it could actually be closed. The sculpting of the capitals and friezes is of the highest quality depicting animalesque and mythological figures in acrobatic and contorted positions, representing the Romanic imagination.

The body of the church underwent complete change in the 17th century. With the abolition of religious orders in 1834, it became a parish church. In 1926, the Portuguese state classified its upper section as a National Monument.

Image: Courtesy of Câmara Municipal de Monção (Town Hall)