In 1624 the foundation stone for the church was laid and by 1647 the Igreja do Colégio was already finished. Until the 19th century the college and the São João Evangelista church represented the largest building complex in Funchal. The college, today part of the Madeira and the Catholic Universities, spread over five corridors and two floors.
The church represents a typical Jesuit temple with an ample and high nave. The nave is flanked by identical lateral chapels, above which you will find a passage built in the wall with windows and balconies at the choir level. This architectural style was developed in Portugal before the end of the 16th century and later spread throughout the world wherever the Jesuit missionaries took the Word of Christ. This is probably one of the most propagated architectural styles in history.
Highlight of the interior of the church is certainly its collection of golden carved altarpieces dating from 1647, 1648, 1654 and 1660. The high altar is considered one of the jewels of Madeiran carving work from that time. Among the many chapels, the one from the ‘Eleven Thousand Virgins’ is to be especially pointed out because of its beautiful altar. |
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