Matriz Church and Garden of Skulls - Loule
Exterior
Matriz Church and Garden of Skulls are both situated at the Rua da Matriz in Loule. This church is also known as the Church of Sao Clemente. Built in the 13th century, the church stands at the site of an old mosque and it is designed in the Gothic style. The bell tower tower belongs to a Muslim mosque which existed here before the construction of this church. The upper section of this old minaret is baroque in style to suit its current use of a bell tower. In one corner of the church, a column stands in the wall but there are no details about the origin of this column.
Interior
Interior of the Matriz Church and it’s arches are unmistakably oriental in style. One theory suggests that some of the Muslim craftsmen were used to build this church in the 13th century. Some of the capitals have sculpted leaves that may be the work of Muslim artists. In comparison, most of the capitals in the western world churches are decorated with animals or human figures. The columns of this church are at different heights which may point out that they were taken from an old mosque.
Garden of Skulls
Opposite to the Matriz Church is the Garden of the Skulls (Jardim dos Amuados). The name of the garden refers to an old Arab cemetery which used to exist here. The garden which stands today dates back to the second half of the 19th century. In 1883, one meter high wall was built to protect this garden.
Trees inside this small garden more appealing but there could be some bones underneath the surface of this garden. In the past, there were few houses used to exist here but they removed to make space for this garden. The Garden of Skulls is a peaceful and quiet place and I spared few thoughts for those souls whose remains were buried there.
