Discover Inguias

Inguias brings together church architecture and historical sources with archaeological sites from different periods. The subjects range from medieval graves to Roman materials and settlement remains. For travelers interested in cultural history, the town offers several different points of interest: you can examine architectural forms, compare finds by their material, or consider the differences in age between the sites.

Churches, a chapel and a historic spring

The Igreja Matriz das Inguias is an example of vernacular religious architecture. Built in the 17th century, it combines Baroque and Neoclassical elements. The bell tower stands apart from the church; it has a funerary chapel and an annex. The main altarpiece also has its own history: it came from the Convento de Nossa Senhora da Esperança. The church thus brings together architectural features and the origins of a particular furnishing.

Another building’s history spans the medieval and Roman periods. The Capela de Nossa Senhora da Estrela has a medieval foundation and was probably built over a Roman structure. Its Roman origins are a possibility, not a confirmed fact. By contrast, the Igreja Matriz is notable for its Baroque and Neoclassical elements and the detached position of its bell tower.

Fonte da Mina, a historic dipping spring, is located on Rua da Fonte. It has a rectangular plan; its opening forms a round arch framed by two wedge-shaped stones. These specific architectural features make it a different point of cultural-historical interest from the churches: here, the plan and opening shape the description, while the churches are defined by their date, architecture and furnishings.

Graves and archaeological sites

Sepultura da Nossa Senhora da Estrela is an archaeological site from the Christian medieval period. At Terras da Ribeira, there is a single anthropomorphic grave carved into an outcrop of granite. Senhora da Estrela I, by contrast, comprises two anthropomorphic graves carved into granite and arranged at right angles to one another. The comparison is clear: Terras da Ribeira centers on a single grave, while Senhora da Estrela I is distinguished by the position of a pair of graves.

Senhora da Estrela II reaches further back to prehistoric and Roman times. The site includes Roman building materials, column fragments and hand mills. Chão Novo is also a prehistoric and Roman site; surface finds there include pottery, glass and slag. The materials differ considerably: Chão Novo features several types of surface finds, while Senhora da Estrela II is noted above all for building materials, column fragments and hand mills.

The sites at Chão do Lameiro add to this picture. Chão do Lameiro I is a suspected Roman agricultural settlement with Roman building ceramics, smelting slag and everyday pottery. Chão do Lameiro II includes Roman building materials, column fragments and hand mills. At Fonte Velha, the finds include surface remains from the Roman period, building ceramics and tin-smelting slag; Vilela refers to a small area with surface Roman pottery fragments. São Geraldo offers a different chronological perspective: the settlement dates from the Late Bronze Age and the Iron Age.

Mural and directions to the chapel

In Inguias, the mural “Sermão de St. António aos Peixes” is located in a building thought to be the Capela de St. António. The mural links the Ribeira das Inguias with the Capela de Santo António. Alongside the architectural and archaeological subjects, it adds a depiction that connects the river and the chapel.

A short field path leads toward the Capela de Nossa Senhora da Estrela from the road junction for Trigais, Bendada and Maçaínhas. If you plan to take this route, check local path conditions before setting out. Inguias’ historical points of interest therefore do not belong to a single period: church architecture, medieval graves, Roman finds and older settlement traces offer different perspectives on the town.

For the broader travel overview: Belmonte.