PRAZERES

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ARTUR CAMPOS
MFM-AV, inv. ACF/359

Church of Our Lady of the Snows

The construction of the original chapel of Prazeres was completed by Manuel dos Santos in 1689. On November 20, 1745, the Council of the Treasury ordered the construction of a new church, which only began in 1751. It was built some distance from the original chapel, but some traces came down to the current parish church, such as the holy water basin of the mid-seventeenth century. In 1922, at the initiative of Father Felix, two side wings, two new sacristies and a new tower were built. In the 40s, the patron saint of the parish was changed, becoming Nossa Senhora das Neves instead of Nossa Senhora dos Prazeres.

Pedagogical Farm of Prazeres

Inaugurated in October 2000, Quinta Pedagógica dos Prazeres is an educational project for raising awareness to and the appreciation of the rural environment. It consists of a set of five buildings, all of them painted yellow and having distinct functions: the parish house; the teahouse; the tea drying space and the two buildings of the art gallery. The main building, which is the old rectory, is built in stone masonry plastered with lime mortar and covered with mission tile. It is painted yellow with a granite base, consisting of two floors, with windows with green wooden shutters and frames. On the top floor there is an artistic residence.

St. Francis de Sales School

Erected by the inhabitants and under the guidance of Father António Félix de Freitas, the school was built between 1929 and 1930, in order to complement the official school in Prazeres, which was eventually closed. Father Felix in 1934 asked the Congregation of the Sisters of the Presentation of Mary to guide the school, which Sister Trindade founded in 1935 as the School of St. Francis de Sales. 180 children were taught to read here. In the 70s and 80s some classes were taught on the first floor of the Church of Prazeres. However, in 2005 with government support, the school facilities were enlarged and began to be called the Educational Centres of the Presentation of Mary.