So, we leave our friends in Óbidos and head north, on our way to Braga. We plan a lunchtime stop to see a church with a very striking appearance, Santa Maria de Valega, in Ovar. Except that it isn’t! We find the centre of Ovar without too much difficulty, and wander around, expecting to see a sign for the church. It doesn’t happen, but we quite like the place and settle down to eat on a quiet square. The Brazilian hot dog is extremely spicy, and we take a moment to Google the church, only to discover that it’s a few kilometres out of town. No problem! We can reroute.










Ovar has a reputation for its azulejo tiles, and we found some beautiful examples in this quiet little town. My friend, Andrew, had suggested a mosaic walking tour, but there was no time for that, even had we been able to find a working Tourist Information office. No matter! The real prize here was Santa Maria da Valego. Hidden in plain sight, in the smallest, most rural of villages.



The church opened at 2.00, and we had a few minutes to walk around the outside, simply gaping at what we saw. So much colour and pattern, as well as the blue and white traditional tiles to which we are used. The adjoining cemetery was huge and beautifully kept.



Construction of the church began in the 18th century, and lasted more than a century. The tiles which make it so remarkable were not added until the 1950s, and are the work of the Aleluia Ceramics factory in nearby Aveiro.





If we were impressed with the facade of the church, our jaws probably dropped as we were invited inside. I have rarely felt so in awe and yet joyful at the same time. The flamboyance of the colours coupled seamlessly with reverence for detail.










It’s never easy to capture these highly polished surfaces on camera, but I simply had to share them as best I could. Have a great weekend, and I’ll see you in Braga on Monday.
The azulejo tiles are beautiful Jo and the church is absolutely stunning! Thanks for including my walk this week and sorry for my tardiness again – so many things going on here at present. I’m just working my way up along your delightful Portugal tour now! Looks such a lovely trip. Hope all is well and you’re having a good week. It’s about to pour down here but we can’t complain as the autumn weather has been wonderful xx 🙂
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No worries, Rosemay. We have a friend staying this week so we’re quite busy too. Pop by when you can 🤗💗
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I’ve just finished reading your latest posts and got up to date Jo! Your Braga trip looks amazing – a part of the world I don’t know at all so it was good to have your persepctive. Hope you have a lovely time with your friend! I’m off to my weekly German class soon! xx
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Delightful! But oh where does the time drift off to? Seems to be the season for driving hours to go get poked and prodded for various reasons (as the years start to add up!!! 😲) Don’t know if I’ll ever get caught up. HOW. DO. YOU. DO. IT????? 🤔
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I often ask myself that too, Gunta. Hope the poking and prodding has a good outcome.
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WOW! What a riot of colour. Only on the Iberian peninsula can you get away with that! Mel
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Even here I found it extraordinary, Mel!
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How amazing, especially so when you come across it in a smaller, out of the way place. The flying umberella was dangerous. Two black eyes is bad enough but it scares me to think what might have happened.
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I really loved this church, Susan. The bruises, not so much but I know I was lucky. If it had hit my sunglasses….
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I am glad to see that you eventually managed to find the church! It is certainly a sight to behold and well worth a detour 🙂 Thanks for sharing and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx
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It’s a beauty, Aiva. We had seen photos but still weren’t prepared for how lovely it was 🤗💗
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🥰🥰🥰
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What an incredible church, Jo. It’s gorgeous. You’ve shown us some beautiful examples of tile in many of your posts, but I think this must be the pinnacle of artistry! Wow! 🙂
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We were completely blown away, Debbie! We had seen photos and they hardly do it justice.
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I’m so glad you did find the church, Jo. How gorgeous are all the tiles and murals! I can’t begin to imagine how much time and effort went into their creation.
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Quite staggering, isn’t it, Carol? It was just a stop off en route to Braga but I’m so glad we did too.
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Oh wow! Those tiles are just amazing!
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A bit different, aren’t they? Glad you like them, Aletta.
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😊
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Magnificent! Those tiles are glorious.
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I have never seen anything like them in a church before, Ruth 🤗💟
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Glorious, indeed!! I have scrolled up and down your post several times, amazing! Enjoyed the walk through your lens. Thank you, Jo!
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It’s a very individual church, Amy, and I can’t tell you how thrilled we were to finally see it. Thanks, hon 🤗💟
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At first the murals and public art. And then the churches they are really WOW. Thanks for sharing Jo!
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We could hardly believe our eyes, Teresa. So glad you enjoyed this too 🤗💟
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I surely did. But to be there in person is the goal!
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Beautiful photographs,Jo. The tile work in the church and the frescoes are attention-grabbing.
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We were amazed at how beautiful, Smitha. And in such a quiet village! Thanks a lot for your company 🤗💟
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Oh that is stunning. I want to see it! I understand about feeling awe and joy at the same time. Oh and you captured them just fine!
Alison
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Sometimes you’re just overwhelmed. We knew what we were looking for and yet could hardly believe our eyes when we found it. Thanks, Alison!
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Oh my Lord I’ve never seen anything so astonishing. What a wonderful sights and the photos. Such a pretty town as well. My walks pale in comparison.
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I saw some photos of it a few years ago, Alison, and have wanted to see it for myself ever since. Still hard to believe my eyes!
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It was an incredible sight
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Sorry to hear about the black eyes, but getting attacked by a beach umbrella is the kind of incident you can dine out on for years! Love the church. It’s well worth a detour to find that.
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Thanks for the smile, Graham. At least it’s not painful to smile now.
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It looks like just as much art as in Italy, Jo. Love the browse around here – thanks for sharing it with us! Emille (Jesh)
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Yes, I think you’re probably right, Jesh. I feel sure you’d like it here. So nice to have your company, thanks!
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Sorry, I only see this comment from you now (Monday night) – a nice feeling to be appreciated:)
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That church is almost beyond words. I can’t imagine how much work it took to put it together!! It seems as though it would be hard to concentrate on the sermon with all that to look at. 🙂 The shot of the first weird sculpture amuses me because in that shot it appears to have a wild bunch of hair. 🙂 Glad you’re more or less OK!
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I think you have a fair point there, Janet. It does dazzle the eyes, but there is a wonderment and glory in the Lord, too. Feeling more like myself this morning, thanks, but I shan’t look in the mirror yet a while.
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Glad you’re feeling better, Jo. I agree that you can see the glory of and for God here but for me it’s almost too much. The creators have certainly used the talents given by their Creator to honor Him!
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well as dazzled as I was by both the sunflowers and the church, I went back several times to see the story about the beach umbrella and your black eyes Jo but couldn’t find anything other than the comments. So thanks for the glorious walk – I’m off to your previous post(s) to see about the mishap!
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Sorry to mislead, Tina! I’m back in Tavira and have been for a week or so. It’s good to be back but I’ve had a couple of mishaps this week. After a breezy walk on the beach we stopped for a glass of wine at a favourite cafe. Unfortunately an umbrella shading a nearby table chose that moment to take off. My forehead stopped it, rather painfully and I spent the next hour holding a bag of ice to my head. Two days later I have 2 black eyes. My daughter says it could only happen to me. Lucky, or what? 🤣💟
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Yikes Jo – a runaway umbrella; who knew?! Glad it wasn’t more serious. As a famous Christmas movie here in the US says “you could put your eye out with that thing!!!”
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I did remark later that if I’d had a brain I could have been brain damaged, Tina 🤗💟
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😍
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Ouch sounds so painful. I don’t think that counts as lucky!
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That church is a real stunner. Thanks for the memory nudge.
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We were gobsmacked, Andrew!
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Lovely, we very much enjoyed our visit to Braga last year.
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We liked it too, Marion.
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The church is amazing! Ugh to the black eye, I’ve given myself one or two of those in the past, though by falling. I think my glasses do the damage (once I broke them) which I suppose is a good thing if it stops me hitting my head. Never done it with a beach umbrella though. That’s novel.
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If it had hit just a fraction lower it would have smashed into my sunglasses and made even more of a mess. I guess I was lucky but it didn’t feel that way, clutching my icepack, Anabel.
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🕶🧊
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The details of the church can be overwhelming but still, it has it´s unique charm.I find the sunflowers really cool!
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Fun, aren’t they? The church was very ornate, but really beautiful.
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Oh, dear, sorry to hear about the black eye! That’s the problem of having too much to drink. What’s that? Only coffee? 🤔
I can understand why you had to visit this church, it’s quite something. The quirky artwork in the town is a little odd though, but the azulejo tiles are very nice. Have a lovely weekend and stay away from beach umbrellas!
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Excuse me!!!! I went for a walk on the beach and stopped for ONE wine afterwards. If I had a brain I could well be brain damaged by now. Had to eat out at lunchtime behind dark glasses and a very big umbrella. Oh no! Deja vu 🤔💗💗
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ONE? Glass or bottle…. 🍾 [ducks…]
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They really know a thing or two about mosiacs Jo … and a labour of love all the interior and exterior decoration !
I rather like the sunflower parade even if they look a little 😦 are they made from metal ?
Wishing you a lovely weekend without any more umbrella incidents …
xx
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I think the sunflowers were felt based, Poppy, which accounts for them wilting a little 🤔💟 Sitting in the shade, a long way from the nearest umbrella 🤣❤️
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Wow, just wow! And even double wow!! Beautifully stunning or stunningly beautiful? That church is amazing, just absolutely gorgeous – I thought the outside looked nice but the inside is something else. I can imagine it was well worth you going a little out of your way to find it. 🙂 Sorry to read about the black eye, I hope it fades quickly. That beach umbrella should be charged with assault 🙂 At least you can wear sunglasses and won’t look out of place 🙂
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You know, Eunice – I won a lot of sympathy today 🤗💟 I managed a bit of flashmob t’ai chi this morning, though it was too warm. Then my other half decided I might be better to not have to cook – especially as it was his favourite prato do dia in our ‘local’ today 🤣❤️. Have a great Bank Hol!
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Absolutely beautiful. I’ll probably never get there, but I can pretend, seeing your photos!
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So many places in the world that I will never reach, Pam, but you realise more and more how little it matters. It’s all about today 🤗💟 Have a good one!
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I needed some of your wisdom today. You are so right. And also, thanks to blogs like yours that I can visit from my own home, I see places from within my heart. xo
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🤗💗
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Beautifully amazing Jo Oh no I hope your black eyes will be OK and not hurt too much 🙂 🙂
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I think the hurting is mostly over, Brian. I’m left with the ugly stage. But lots of sympathy and you had to love that church 🤗💟
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Glad you are getting attention 🤗🤗
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The sunflower “garden” in town was fun … but I winced at the opening sculpture. Then wow … the featured church. Now that’s color! I can’t recall ever seeing a church with an exterior like that. Impressive!
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So much a ‘mistura’, small Portuguese towns, Frank. You never know what you will find. We quite liked this one but really couldn’t live there. The church was a complete ‘tour de force’. Stunning! 🤗❤️
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Wow! The tiles are so beautiful. Thanks for the fabulous tour, Jo!
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We were blown away, Jill! 🤗❤️
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Wow, that is absolutely stunning in an ‘over the top but I love it’ fashion 😮😮 I know what you mean about the reflections making the tiles hard to photograph (I had the same problem with the ones in the Misericórdia in Tavira) but I think you’ve done a great job of capturing them and sharing them with us. I’m so glad you tracked the church down!
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Just read some of the other comments. I’m sorry to hear about your incident with the beach umbrella but I have to say that’s just the sort of thing I would do! Hope you heal quickly 🤗😘
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I am garnering lots of sympathy, Sarah, and my husband just took me out to lunch in our ‘local’ so life could be very much worse. Thanks, hon 🤗💟
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When we got to Ovar we were quite tempted just to carry on, Sarah, but I was so glad we didn’t. When did you ever see something like this? 🤔❤️❤️
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The azulejo tiles are just so beautiful … and how unique is that sunflower decoration! What a lovely church (and cemetery) … and wow, the inside is truly spectacular.
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I saw photos online and absolutely had to see this for myself. It totally did not disappoint 🤗💟
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The church, while pretty, is a bit much. I loved the sunflowers
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I know! OTT, but I couldn’t help but love the effort that had gone into it. I felt a little sorry for the sunflowers. In a good way 🤣💟
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These are amazing. Another one for the bucket list 😦
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I have to say that we were beyond impressed! 🤗💟
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Truly amazing Jo. What an interesting place you now live in. How much longer will you be exploring?Weather looks perfect too. Have a great May. Keep away from those aggressive beach umbrellas 🤭
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We are back in Tavira now, hon! That’s how come the beach umbrella got me. Two lovely black eyes…. sing along 🤣💟
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Oh what a surprise….🤭
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🤣🤣
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As churches go, Jo, I’d have to agree with you and say that one is really impressive. I like colour, and there’s certainly a lot of it there!
An interesting thing I noticed in your other photos is the one of the king’s head on legs (I’m presuming it’s a king!) – for some reason, it looks really familiar to me, but I don’t know why.
Happy Saturday, Jo! 🙂
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He’s an odd character, isn’t he, Tom? I can’t really give you details as he was just a quick snap as I went past, in a sort of ‘look at that wierdo’ way! Have a great weekend, hon!
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What an amazing place, Jo. Simply stunning. Ive added to my to do list!
Have a great weekend.
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A gem, isn’t it, Debs? Thanks, hon!
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This tile work is astonishing: I’ve never seen anything like it. Thanks for sharing it with us … and have a great weekend.
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That was our reaction too, Margaret. And the fact that it was so quiet and unoccupied- extraordinary!
Another sunny one here. Mae Soberana at Loule on Sunday- one of the biggest events of the year and coincidentally Mother’s Day this year. We have a repeat of the flashmob this morning- our t’ai chi leader got the dates wrong last week! Not sure if I’ll be going because I had another of my ‘incidents’ on Wednesday and have a black eye today. When I told my daughter that a beach umbrella had lept up and hit me on the forehead as I sat at a table with a drink she said it could only happen to me. Unfortunately!
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She’s not wrong …
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