The Hermitage/Chapel of Our Lady of Aracelis (Ermida de Nossa Senhora de Aracelis) is located in the heart of the Lower Alentejo region, near the village of São Marcos da Ataboeira, on the border of the Castro Verde/Mértola municipalities. Throughout history, the hermitage has been a bone of contention among the populations of these two municipalities, both claiming ownership of the shrine. Remote and imposing, perched on top of a hill, it offers a unique 360-degree view of the vast Alentejo plains, of the region’s hill ranges and a glimpse of the neighbouring regions of Algarve and Andalucia.

The building is characterised by its simple architecture, humble dimensions, and the typical whitewash paint used in the region since time immemorial. The ample walled churchyard is accessed through two stairways topped by beautifully decorated porticoes. The interior of the chapel is also plain, boasting some mural paintings partially hidden behind the main altar, where we find the image of Virgin Mary and child (centre) and that of the Hermitage’s patron saint (left).

The origins of this hermitage are lost in the midst of times. However, its name, Aracelis, derived from the Latin phrase Ara Coelis (altar of Heaven), suggests that they may go back to at least the Roman era, as the ample archaeological remains found on the site attest. Given its strategic location and privileged view, the hermitage is believed to have been a lookout during the Roman and Islamic periods.

Given the absence of documentary evidence, this hermitage is thought to have been founded at the end of the 16th century and to have constituted an important pilgrimage site on a route of Marian devotion in southern Portugal, which included other hermitages/chapels, known as its “six sisters”: Nossa Senhora [Our Lady of] dos Remédios (Alcaria, Mértola); Nossa Senhora da Cola (Ourique), Nossa Senhora do Castelo (Aljustrel), Nossa Senhora de Guadalupe (Serpa), Nossa Senhora da Saúde (Castro Marim), and Nossa Senhora da Piedade (Loulé).

Today, this hermitage remains one of the main sanctuaries devoted to the Virgin Mary in Alentejo, attracting pilgrims year-round, and particularly during the annual Feast in honour of its patron saint, which takes place in early September. On this occasion, the image of the Saint is carried in procession around the hill, asking for a good agricultural year, in keeping with an ancient tradition.

Despite its remoteness, this place attracts a considerable number of visitors and tourists. Several aspects may concur for the enduring popularity of this off-the-beaten-track spot, namely this simple sanctuary, as well as the beauty and tranquility of the site, the extraordinary views it offers, and the rich flora and fauna of the region, most notably the steppe bird species.

There is a votive image which may go unnoticed, as it is placed over the Chapel’s door, therefore, at the back of the visitor who enters the shrine. The fact that it hangs considerably high on the wall makes it equally difficult to take in the painting or to read the caption.

O ex-voto em apreço passará talvez despercebido a muitos dos que visitam este templo, por se encontrar pendurado por cima da porta da Capela, ficando por isso atrás de quem entra. A altura a que se encontra pendurado dificulta também a sua leitura ou contemplação.

The painting is characterized mostly by its simplicity and by its naive style avant la lettre. It depicts a well-attended pilgrimage (romaria) or procession which leaves the church behind and heads to the top of the hill, towards the Hermitage of Our Lady of Aracelis. The painting offers a clear image of both temples, as well as of the arrangement of the procession: the cross of Jesus Crucified at the front, the processional sculpture of the village’s patron saint, the members of the clergy followed by the pilgrims, people scattered through the fields, kneeling, praying, their eyes directed toward the top of the hill. We can also see the cloudy sky and, perched on hilltops, two windmills where the locally produced wheat was milled and used to make bread – the staple food of the region’s inhabitants. While the visual representation lays out the setting where the events unfold, the caption at the bottom of the painting describes and dates them. The nature of the painting – i.e. a votive offering – is made clear by the text’s opening words: “The miracle which was performed by…”.

Caption:

“The miracle which was performed by Our Lady of Aracelis on 19th of the month of December seventeen ninety to the inhabitants of the parish of St Marcus and their neighbours who, terrified and broken by a great drought, take the glorious St Joseph from their church and carry Him in procession to the chapel of the said Lady begging for Her protection with such faith, that, as they were going up the mountain, thick clouds suddenly appeared in the sky, pouring such heavy rain which fertilised the fields, and the pained procession attendees became joyful. The Reverend Father Antonio Guerreiro had this painting renovated on 8th December 1858, for future reference."^bro D’ 1850.”

This is a votive offering of undeniable relevance, particularly given its popular character and considerable antiquity. It represents and indelibly condenses the essence of the history, the identity, and the condition of the Alentejo region and its people – a predominantly agricultural region, and a population subjected to the whims of a harsh unpredictable climate, characterized by a wide temperature range, long periods of drought interspersed by thunderous downpours and off-season storms. These were often responsible for the failure or the destruction of the crops, and the ensuing consequences – labour shortage, poverty, hunger – the triad which was a recurring pattern in the lives of the Alentejo’s rural populations throughout history, portrayed in the writings of José Cutileiro (1971) or António Dias Lourenço (1997), among others.

This votive painting gains particular relevance at a time when the Alentejo, and the Mediterranean/Southern European region, are undergoing disruptive climate change. The painting reminds us of the precarity of our lives as we know them, and of the configuration and sustainability of the regions we inhabit. This votive painting also speaks to the perennial miracle of water, the source of life, upon which the survival of our planet depends.

Sources

Município de Castro Verde. Património Edificado – Ermida de Nossa Senhora de Aracelis – São Marcos da Atabueira.

Portal do Arqueólogo. Senhora de Aracelis. Direção Geral do Património Cultural.