Senhora das Dores Church

Senhora das Dores Church (Portuguese: Igreja de Nossa Senhora das Dores, also referred to as Capela, chapel) is a Roman Catholic church in Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal. It is located in Largo das Dores square, in the old town of Póvoa de Varzim, and is part of the parish of Matriz. The church is dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, Nossa Senhora das Dores in Portuguese.

The church was rebuilt in the 18th century. It has sculptures of six of the Seven Sorrows of Mary in six surrounding chapels, and of the seventh sorrow in the altar. It was listed by IGESPAR, the Portuguese national monuments bureau, as a building of public importance in 1974.

The Nossa Senhora das Dores church is located on a small hill where, before the 18th century, the Senhor do Monte (Lord of the Hill, the Lord in the crucifix) was celebrated in an ancient chapel.

The change in dedication occurred on July 24 1768 when the archbishop authorized a group of Latin Grammar students from a school in the square near the church to place the icon of Our Lady of Sorrows in the chapel. The students were devotees of Our Lady, and were helped by some inhabitants to achieve that goal. Renovation of the chapel began, and was to continue over a long period of time. The chapel was given the new name of Capela da Virgem Santíssima Senhora das Dores (Chapel of the Holly Virgin Lady of Sorrows) and became very popular. The brotherhood had its statutes approved in 1769.

An unusual procession took place on June 8, 1784. The icon of our Lady of Sorrows was carried across the square to the icon of Jesus Christ, the Lord in the crucifix, of Misericórdia Church on the North of the square. It was hoped that with intervention from Our Lady of Sorrows the rain would fall to make the farmlands productive.

An 1868 description said "the ornaments and paintings of this chapel are in harmony with the plan adopted for the whole church. It has a church organ. It has a large and elegant tower that is seen from great distance at sea," and "it serves as a reference to seafarers when docking at the beach." The six small chapels were built in 1886 and Our Lady of Sorrows iconography was completed.

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