Lamego - Capela de São Pedro de Balsemão

Behind the baroque façade of the Capela de São Pedro de Balsemão is perhaps the oldest church in Portugal, dating back to the 7th century.
It was a Visigothic (some say Suebi) sanctuary dating back to the 7th century.

In the location of the chapel was a Roman villa, which can be dated from inscriptions from the period of Claudius, as some of the Roman stones were reused here. Balsemão was already an ecclesiastical parish already in the 6th century. In the 10th century, with the repopulation of the area, the church was renovated. The church was profoundly transformed after the 14th century, when the Bishop of Porto, Afonso Pires, selected the chapel to bury his earthly remains. His sarcophagus is today located in the principal nave.

Lamego - Capela de São Pedro de Balsemão