Machico (parish church)

It has been claimed that the chapel of Cristo (see vol. I, p. 332), today the chapel of the Lord of Miracles (Senhor dos Milagres), in the town (vila) of Machico, was the first place of worship built on this island. We disagree with this claim (see Santa Catarina, chapel of), and are even of the opinion that it was not the first to be built in that parish (freguesia). On settling in Machico, Tristão Vaz Teixeira promptly had a small chapel built, which he later enlarged and improved. It became the seat of the parish when the parish was created around the middle of the 15th century.

The present church, although very old, does not appear to be the original building in which the centre of the new parish was established. There is a constant tradition that the white marble columns of the fine side doorway were given by King Manuel I. Since he died in 1521, it may be conjectured that the building does not date from much before that year. An old manuscript places its construction in the year 1499. It is said somewhere that the massive buttresses reinforcing the outer walls appear to belong to the original building.

Over the centuries the church has undergone major repairs and some alterations to its interior, especially to the altars, while keeping the general lines of the original building. Notable repairs were carried out in 1683, 1698 and 1713, particularly those to the chancel after 1698. The bell tower was demolished in 1844 because it threatened imminent collapse, and was rebuilt in 1853. This tower once held an old clock, dating from before 1609, which stopped working in 1824.

The arch and vaults of the chapels of the Blessed Sacrament (Santíssimo Sacramento) and of St John the Baptist are in the Gothic style, and the ceiling of the first of these chapels is of remarkable beauty and perfection. The arches of the chancel and of a chapel on the Gospel side are Manueline.

Above the altar of the chapel of the Blessed Sacrament hangs a painting on panel of the Adoration of the Magi (Reis Magos), which is beyond dispute a most remarkable work of art. A former and distinguished teacher at our Industrial School said of it:

“

Over the centuries this notable painting has suffered the ravages of age, and it is truly to be regretted that it could not be preserved, like so many other masterpieces of equal antiquity. Nevertheless, the flawless drawing of the figures still stands out, together with all the vigour of its colour and the whole special character that this painting displays, which brings it so close to the works of Grão Vasco, the great artist who flourished in Portugal at the beginning of the 16th century. It is undoubtedly to this painter, whose pictures are admired in the cathedral of Viseu, or to the school he created, that the Adoration of the Magi of Machico is owed. This is attested by the characteristics of the drawing and the colour, and above all by the care taken over the execution, which is most evident in the rendering of the gold embroidery, the jewels and the metal ornaments, painted with extreme precision and extraordinary truthfulness. Among the rare relics of early painting that Madeira possesses, this is without doubt the most notable. . .’ Only recently, one of the most distinguished Portuguese painters described this picture as a fine museum piece and advised that it be restored without delay, without harm to the original painting.

The chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, which houses this exquisite work of art, was founded by Dona Branca Teixeira, daughter of the first captain-donatary (capitão-donatário) of Machico. In her will she refers to her chapel of the Magi, to which she left substantial property for the celebration of a daily Mass. Frutuoso says that Branca Teixeira died unmarried and was commonly known as ‘the Mestra’ because of her gift of healing.

The chapel of St John the Baptist was founded by the second captain-donatary and was intended to serve as the family vault of the donataries of this captaincy; the arms of the Teixeira family appear at the top of its arch. The altars or chapels of St Francis Xavier and of the Holy Spirit (Espírito Santo), with their pious obligations, were founded by Canon Dr Manuel Pereira de Castro, a former vicar of Machico, and by Sebastião de Morais, as their family vaults and as the seat of the entailed estate (morgadio) that the latter established.

Special mention is due to a painting of the Holy Souls, which is on the altar between the arches of the chancel and the chapel of the Blessed Sacrament. It is without doubt a work of value, which a poor restoration has considerably damaged.

Tradition not only attributes to King Manuel I the gift of the marble columns of the church’s side doorway, but also says that the same monarch presented the organ that is still in the choir of the church today. As it was badly damaged, it was repaired in 1857 on the orders of the governor António Rogério Gromicho Couceiro. It bears the following inscription: ‘Munificence of the Lord King Dom Manuel. At the request of the Municipal Council, repaired by order of His Excellency General António Rogério Gromicho Couceiro, civil and military governor of Madeira, 1857.’