It is located on Rua da Nossa Senhora da Piedade, in the parish of São Sebastião, in the municipality of Loulé, Algarve, Southern Portugal
The Sanctuary of Nossa Senhora da Piedade (also known as the Sanctuary of the Sovereign Mother) is one of the most important Marian shrines in Portugal after the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima.
The Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Piedade de Loulé was built in 1553, and the location chosen was close to the urban center, on top of a hill next to an important road that connected São Brás de Alportel, Loulé and Boliqueime since Roman times.
At the end of the 16th century, the patronage of this temple passed to the Câmara de Loulé and as such the city council took over the presentation of the hermit, and the organization of the main festival then held on the Monday after the Easter octaves.
The original altarpiece in the main chapel (1565) remained in worship until the beginning of the 18th century.
In 1716, the Juiz de Fora de Loulé, Dr. Filipe Peixoto de Moura as Rector of the Confraternity of Nossa Senhora da Piedade, arranged the creation of a new carved altarpiece with one of the most important carvers in the Algarve, the Farense master Gaspar Martins, but this interesting example of the national baroque was victimized by the 1755 earthquake that destroyed part of the hermitage, namely the main chapel.
In the reconstruction carried out in the immediate years, the ousia was moved to the west and the main facade to the east.
The current carved altarpiece was built in the new main chapel and an architectural perspective painting was built on the ceiling, and two more paintings of the same genre were also executed by the same artist, one on the ceiling of the sacristy and another in the nave, with only the last one surviving.
The final construction campaign took place at the end of the 19th century, with the main facade being redesigned and figurative panels being painted on the side walls.
The festival of Nossa Senhora da Piedade remained very popular, and in the middle of the 20th century the construction of a new temple, of enormous dimensions, began next to the hermitage.
Currently, the festivities for the Virgin, locally known as the Sovereign Mother, are established in the Algarve context as the most expressive and popular religious manifestation, with thousands of faithful traveling to Loulé on that day.
This Catholic temple has since become a place of pilgrimage where two annual celebrations take place after Easter, the Little Feast and the Great Feast, in honor of Senhora da Piedade respectively on Easter Sunday and two weeks later, on the third Sunday, being one of the largest religious gatherings in Portugal.
It is known that an image of Senhora da Piedade was commissioned: an image of perfect form, mannerist style, a wooden sculpture of impeccable creation.
The sculpture of Nossa Senhora da Piedade in this Marian Sanctuary is made of wood and is made with perfect craftsmanship, and is a perfectly shaped image measuring 90 x 40 centimeters that is part of the Mannerist style, probably executed by a sculptor of religious art from Faro, or Flemish, at the end of the 16th century or at the beginning of the 17th century.
The festivities for the Blessed Virgin Mary, locally known as "Sovereign Mother", assert themselves in the Algarve context as the most expressive and popular religious manifestation, with thousands of faithful traveling to Loulé on those dates.
The Chapel of Nossa Senhora da Piedade de Loulé was built in 1553, and the location chosen was close to the urban center, on top of a hill next to an important road that connected São Brás de Alportel, Loulé and Boliqueime since Roman times.
At the end of the 16th century, the patronage of this temple passed to the Câmara de Loulé and as such the city council took over the presentation of the hermit, and the organization of the main festival then held on the Monday after the Easter octaves.
The original altarpiece in the main chapel (1565) remained in worship until the beginning of the 18th century.
In 1716, the Juiz de Fora de Loulé, Dr. Filipe Peixoto de Moura as Rector of the Confraternity of Nossa Senhora da Piedade, arranged the creation of a new carved altarpiece with one of the most important carvers in the Algarve, the Farense master Gaspar Martins, but this interesting example of the national baroque was victimized by the 1755 earthquake that destroyed part of the hermitage, namely the main chapel.
In the reconstruction carried out in the immediate years, the ousia was moved to the west and the main facade to the east.
The current carved altarpiece was built in the new main chapel and an architectural perspective painting was built on the ceiling, and two more paintings of the same genre were also executed by the same artist, one on the ceiling of the sacristy and another in the nave, with only the last one surviving.
The final construction campaign took place at the end of the 19th century, with the main facade being redesigned and figurative panels being painted on the side walls.
The festival of Nossa Senhora da Piedade remained very popular, and in the middle of the 20th century the construction of a new temple, of enormous dimensions, began next to the hermitage.
Currently, the festivities for the Virgin, locally known as the Sovereign Mother, are established in the Algarve context as the most expressive and popular religious manifestation, with thousands of faithful traveling to Loulé on that day.
This Catholic temple has since become a place of pilgrimage where two annual celebrations take place after Easter, the Little Feast and the Great Feast, in honor of Senhora da Piedade respectively on Easter Sunday and two weeks later, on the third Sunday, being one of the largest religious gatherings in Portugal.
It is known that an image of Senhora da Piedade was commissioned: an image of perfect form, mannerist style, a wooden sculpture of impeccable creation.
The sculpture of Nossa Senhora da Piedade in this Marian Sanctuary is made of wood and is made with perfect craftsmanship, and is a perfectly shaped image measuring 90 x 40 centimeters that is part of the Mannerist style, probably executed by a sculptor of religious art from Faro, or Flemish, at the end of the 16th century or at the beginning of the 17th century.
The festivities for the Blessed Virgin Mary, locally known as "Sovereign Mother", assert themselves in the Algarve context as the most expressive and popular religious manifestation, with thousands of faithful traveling to Loulé on those dates.
