The hermitage of  St. Teotónio was founded by the Dean of the See of Évora, Lord  Teotónio Manuel, presumably in  the decade of 1650, near to the noble homes of the Travessa do Relógio.

The farmer and professed knight of the brotherhood Ordem de Cristo, Manuel Fragoso de Barros, bought later, in 1729, the noble houses known nowadays by Fragoso-Barahona palace, gardens and fence, the hermitage of St. Teotónio, stalls and stables and the other properties by the amount of 3000 “cruzados” (the currency in use in those days).The hermitage is private and preceeded by narthex.

Above the entrance porch is the bell tower, added in 1832, to replace a simple church tower, and it has a niche with a marble statue of the founder.

The rectangular nave, topped by a half barrel vault and walls covered in glazed polychrome tiles, while the mantel, vault and spandrel of the main chapel show wall paintings. The main chapel is of square plant and topped by an hemispherical dome, also totally covered by paintings.

There are two side chapels. They all have gilded wood altar pieces and paintings representing diferente sacred figures. This chapel is profusely decorated with high quality artistic elements in gilded wood, paintings and ceramic tiles, dated from the second half of the 17th century and of the 18th century.

There is still the choir, of the 18th century, with access to the palace and a vestry with a marble basin and sink.

Fátima Farrica
March 2021
 
REFERENCES:
ALCÂNTARA, Joaquim Pedro de, Breves Memórias da Villa das Alcáçovas, Évora, Minerva Eborense, 1890.
ESPANCA, Túlio, Inventário Artístico de Portugal. Distrito de Évora. Concelhos de Alandroal, Borba, Mourão, Portel, Redondo, Reguengos de Monsaraz, Viana do Alentejo e Vila Viçosa, Lisboa, Academia Nacional de Belas Artes, Tomo IX, Vol. 1, 1978.