Discover Quintela: Churches, Culture and Trails

Among the places worth seeing in Quintela are the Igreja Matriz de S. João Baptista and the Capela da Irmandade das Almas. Cultural history, religious buildings, trails, and recurring events offer further points of reference when deciding what to focus on during your trip. The themes range from the history of a sanctuary to a cycling route with a stated total distance.

Sacred Sites and Cultural History

The Igreja Matriz de S. João Baptista and the Capela da Irmandade das Almas are two explicitly named sights in Quintela. The history of the Santuário de Nossa Senhora da Lapa reaches further back: the present-day sanctuary was completed in 1635, after the Jesuits took charge of it in 1576. The two dates mark different stages—the assumption of responsibility for its care and the later completion of the present-day building.

The Jesuit College of Lapa also dates back to the 16th century. Aquilino Ribeiro came to study grammar, Latin, logic, and moral philosophy at the college next to the Santuário de Nossa Senhora da Lapa in 1895. The Museu Monográfico do Ex-Voto is associated with Lapa in the municipality of Sernancelhe and is dedicated to the veneration of Nossa Senhora da Lapa.

The Pelourinho offers another architectural detail: it stands on four octagonal steps and has an octagonal shaft adorned with spiral and plant motifs. The recurring octagonal shape defines both the steps and the shaft, while the ornamentation adds a finer touch. Visitors interested in architectural forms can pay attention to its structure and decorations without limiting their focus to a single date.

Landscape and Trails

The Centro Interpretativo da Lapa – Terra, Gente e Bichos interactively explains the cultural heritage and biodiversity of the Lapa plateau. Culture and nature are thus both central to the topics covered by the centre. This suits a trip where the landscape and biodiversity are of interest alongside the buildings.

The Caminhos de Fé trail begins near the Santuário de Nossa Senhora da Lapa and heads south from the village, following the source of the Vouga River. The trail’s landscapes include granite outcrops and the source. Its starting point, direction, and notable landscape features help you get a sense of the route without assuming a walking time or difficulty level.

For cycling, the Ciclovia da Lapa is another option: it is located in the parishes of Granjal and Quintela da Lapa and consists of three sections along the EN 584-2. It is 6,800 metres long in total, or just under seven kilometres. If you want to assess a route based on a stated overall distance, the Ciclovia provides a concrete measure. The Caminhos de Fé, by contrast, is defined by its starting point near the sanctuary, its southbound direction, and the landscape along the river source.

Festivals and Reasons to Visit

The Festa da Senhora da Lapa takes place every year on 15 August and continues to attract thousands of pilgrims. This gives trip planning a fixed religious and calendar reference point. Regional products are presented and sold at the annual Feira Aquiliniana. Visiting for either event offers a different focus: one festival is associated with the veneration of Senhora da Lapa, while the Feira turns attention to regional products.

When deciding on your trip, you can weigh up several specific interests: religious buildings and architectural history, cultural heritage and biodiversity explained interactively, a trail connected to the landscape, a cycling route with a known length, or an annual festival date. Quintela’s named sights provide a clear starting point, while the information about Lapa and the routes retains its respective geographic and subject-specific context.

Discover more destinations: Carregal Do Sal, Mangualde, Póvoa, Santa Comba Dão, Quinta Dos Pisões, Lamego, Candal, Mortágua

For the regional travel overview: Viseu.