Church of Sao Juliao (Igreja Matriz)

The Church of Sao Juliao (Igreja de Sao Juliao) is the main parish church (igreja matriz) of Setubal, standing on the northern edge of Praca do Bocage. Founded by fishermen in the second half of the 13th century, rebuilt in the Manueline style under Joao de Castilho (1516–1520), and reconstructed in Baroque after the 1755 earthquake, it has been classified as a National Monument since 1910.

History

Foundation (Second Half of the 13th Century)

The Church of Sao Juliao was founded by the fishermen of Setubal during the second half of the 13th century. The exact date is unknown. The parish of Sao Juliao (originally called Sao Giao, the medieval Portuguese form of the name) was one of the two oldest parishes in the city, alongside Santa Maria da Graca. Information about the original medieval structure is scarce.

At that time, Setubal was already under the influence of the Order of Santiago: in 1249, the Master of the Order, Paio Peres Correia, had granted the town its first foral (charter). The fishing community that built and sustained this church would remain its patrons for centuries.

Connection to the Order of Santiago

At the end of the 15th century, the church became connected to the Palace of Jorge de Lencastre, Master of the Order of Santiago and Duke of Aveiro. Jorge de Lencastre used the Igreja de Sao Juliao as his private chapel until approximately 1510. This noble patronage would prove decisive for the church’s most significant transformation.

The Manueline Reconstruction (1513–1520)

On 2 February 1513, King Manuel I issued a royal charter (alvara) from Evora ordering the reconstruction of the church. Construction took place between 1516 and 1520.

• Architect (design): Joao de Castilho, one of the most important Manueline architects, also responsible for works at the Jeronimos Monastery in Lisbon and the Convento de Cristo in Tomar.
• Master mason (direction of works): Joao Favacho.
• Funding: The Master of the Order of Santiago contributed 500,000 reis; the Crown also ordered Setubal residents to contribute.

During this period, the church received a retable attributed to the painter Gregorio Lopes (or his workshop). Of this work, only the panel Criacao do Homem (The Creation of Man) survives — a painting from the Portuguese Primitives period.

Earthquake of 1531 and Mannerist Restoration (1570)

The 1531 earthquake severely damaged the church. Reconstruction was completed and the building reinaugurated in 1570, considerably modified in the Mannerist style. During this restoration, the single nave was subdivided into three aisles by internal arches.

In 1568, the Irmandade das Almas (Brotherhood of Souls) was established in the parish.

Also in 1570, the Chapel of the Most Holy Sacrament (Capela do Santissimo Sacramento) was decorated with gilded woodwork (talha dourada). This chapel belonged to Francisco Rodrigues de Almeida, a nobleman of the Royal House and administrator of a morgado (entail).

The 1755 Earthquake and Baroque Reconstruction

The devastating earthquake of 1755 almost completely destroyed the church, sparing only the Manueline portals. The church originally had a covered entrance (alpendre) over the northern portal, which was destroyed and never rebuilt.

Reconstruction began in 1766, during the reign of Queen Maria I. The interior was completely redecorated in Baroque style:

• Walls were covered with azulejo panels (c. 1790), depicting scenes from the lives of the patron saints, Sao Juliao and Santa Basilissa. These panels were funded by the fishermen of Setubal, continuing the tradition of the fishing community’s patronage.
• The main altarpiece was painted by Pedro Alexandrino de Carvalho (1729–1810), one of the most prolific Portuguese religious painters of the post-earthquake era.
• Interior decoration was carried out by Joao Eloy Ferreira do Amaral (1839–1927), a painter born in Setubal (a street in the city, Rua Joao Eloy do Amaral, is named after him).

The 1858 Earthquake and Later History

The 1858 earthquake (magnitude ~7.1) caused further damage: walls cracked and four stone pinnacles on the facade collapsed, along with two decorative fogareus (flame-shaped ornaments). These elements were never replaced, permanently altering the facade’s silhouette.

In May 1876, a Swiss-made clock mechanism was installed in the bell tower. For centuries, this tower clock served as the main public timekeeper of the city. It is currently non-functional.

On 16 June 1910, the church was classified as a Monumento Nacional (National Monument) — the highest level of heritage protection in Portugal.

In the 2013 administrative reform, the parish of Sao Juliao was merged with Nossa Senhora da Anunciada and Santa Maria da Graca into the Uniao das Freguesias de Setubal.

Historical Events

In 1668, a solemn procession departed from this church toward Santa Maria da Graca to celebrate the peace treaty between Portugal and Spain, marking the end of the Restoration War.

Architecture

Exterior

The church displays a palimpsest of architectural styles accumulated over centuries. The most remarkable surviving elements from the Manueline period (1516–1520) are the portals:

The main (western) portal features characteristic Manueline decoration.

The northern lateral portal is considered by specialists to be “one of the most beautiful examples in the country.” It features:

• Twisted columns (colunas torsas) imitating ship ropes — a hallmark Manueline motif
• Vegetal motifs with naturalistic organic decoration
• Trilobed arches in the Gothic-Manueline transitional style

The bell tower door also preserves its Manueline decoration.

The upper part of the facade, with its windows and gable, dates from the 18th-century Pombaline reconstruction. The facade originally bore stone pinnacles and fogareus, lost in the 1858 earthquake and never restored.

Interior

Layout: A single nave subdivided into three aisles by internal arches (Mannerist structural intervention of 1570), with a narrower capela-mor (main chapel).

Azulejo tile panels (c. 1790): The walls of the naves, the capela-mor, and the Chapel of Senhor dos Passos are covered with cut azulejo panels. These are blue-and-white panels with polychrome Rococo borders and marbled tile baseboards. They depict scenes from the lives of Sao Juliao and Santa Basilissa, the church’s patron saints. The specific workshop that produced these panels has not been identified.

Chapel of the Most Holy Sacrament (1570): Decorated with gilded woodwork (talha dourada) from the Mannerist period.

Main altarpiece: A late 18th-century painting by Pedro Alexandrino de Carvalho.

Surviving Manueline painting: The panel Criacao do Homem (The Creation of Man), attributed to Gregorio Lopes or his workshop (16th century) — the only surviving piece from the original Manueline retable.

Ceiling: Decorated with Portugal’s coat of arms.

Gilded woodwork: Baroque-period talha dourada in the choir and altar area, with gilded wooden columns.

Notable Artworks

The Urna do Santissimo Sacramento is a notable piece of Portuguese liturgical silver, the subject of an academic study by Andre das Neves Afonso describing it as “a paradigmatic case of the excellent quality achieved in Portuguese silver goldsmithing production in the second half of the 18th century.”

[UNVERIFIED] Images of Sao Juliao and Santa Basilissa, attributed to the school of Machado de Castro (18th century), are reported to have been transferred from this church to the Igreja de Sao Nicolau in Lisbon.

The Patron Saints

The church is dedicated to Sao Juliao (Saint Julian) and Santa Basilissa (Saint Basilissa), early Christian martyrs.

According to hagiographic tradition, Julian and Basilissa were a married couple, probably from Antinopolis (Antinoe) in Egypt. Forced to marry by Julian’s family, they made a mutual pact of chastity and remained virgins throughout their marriage. Basilissa founded a women’s convent; Julian founded a monastery. Together, they transformed their home into a hospital, reportedly caring for over a thousand people.

Basilissa died peacefully. Julian was martyred (decapitated) during the Diocletian persecutions (c. 304 AD). Their feast day is 9 January in the Roman Martyrology.

This is a different saint from Sao Juliao Hospitaleiro (Saint Julian the Hospitaller), the legendary knight-figure celebrated on 12 February.

Location and Praca do Bocage

The church defines the northern boundary of Praca do Bocage, Setubal’s main public square. The square evolved from a Roman fish-salting factory site (1st century AD) through the medieval Largo do Sapal, was expanded under Joao III in 1533, and renamed Praca do Bocage in 1865. In 1871, a marble statue of the neo-classical poet Manuel Maria Barbosa du Bocage was erected in the centre of the square, directly in front of the church.

Practical Information

• Address: Praca do Bocage, no 135–136, 2900-349 Setubal
• Coordinates: 38.5247 N, 8.8878 W
• Classification: National Monument (Monumento Nacional), since 1910
• Registry: SIPA 3448 / DGPC 70219
• Phone: +351 265 523 723
• Mass times: Sundays at 10:30 and 18:00 (winter) / 19:00 (summer)
• Opening hours: Monday–Saturday 8:30–12:00 and 15:30–17:30; Sundays 8:30–11:30 and 18:30–20:00
• Admission: Free (active place of worship)
• Transport: Buses 230, 767, 768, 783. Central location, accessible on foot.

See Also

• Church of Santa Maria da Graca — Setubal’s cathedral since 1975
• Monastery of Jesus — Early Manueline masterpiece by Diogo Boitac
• Praca do Bocage — The main square where the church stands
• Azulejos of Setubal — The tile tradition across the city’s churches
• The 1755 Earthquake — The catastrophe that reshaped the church
• The 1858 Earthquake — Further damage to the facade
• The Foral and the Order of Santiago — The charter and the Order’s role in Setubal
• Parishes of Setubal — The historical parish system