The Gondomar Council Festivities also serve as a moment to connect with the history, traditions, and heritage that are part of the territory's identity. It is in this context that, next Saturday, September 26, at 4:00 PM, the Gondomar Municipal Library will host the inauguration of the photography exhibition “Altares das Almas: Memória, Devoção e Património” (Altars of Souls: Memory, Devotion, and Heritage), accompanied by the launch of the publication Alminhas de Gondomar.
Promoted by the Municipality of Gondomar, the exhibition invites visitors to explore one of the oldest and deepest expressions of Christian devotion: prayer for the souls in purgatory and the belief in their redemption through prayer and the intercession of saints.
Present in various churches within the council, the Altars of Souls are places where art, faith, and memory intersect. The representations of souls amidst flames, in supplication, evoke suffering and, simultaneously, the hope of salvation, testifying to a religious tradition that has spanned generations and left its mark on Gondomar's heritage.
The exhibition features photographs from the interiors of churches that house Altars of Souls, as well as images of their respective altarpieces (the back of the altar) and other details related to this devotion. Through this visual journey, visitors can learn about different forms of representation and understand how this religious expression materialized in the council's places of worship.
The inauguration of the exhibition will also be marked by the launch of the publication Alminhas de Gondomar, the result of study, research, and valorization of one of the most expressive manifestations of popular religiosity and the territory's cultural heritage.
The 'alminhas' (little souls) are part of the landscape and memory of many communities, bearing witness to forms of faith, devotion, and relationship with the territory that have been passed down through generations. The publication aims to contribute to the knowledge, safeguarding, and appreciation of this heritage, offering a perspective on these manifestations as an integral part of Gondomar's cultural identity.
Furthermore, on the same day, September 26, at 5:30 PM, the forecourt of the Mother Church of S. Cosme will host the inauguration of the exhibition “Ecos da Devoção: Igrejas sob a Proteção dos Santos Médicos” (Echoes of Devotion: Churches under the Protection of the Healing Saints). This exhibition is organized by the Confraternity of S. Cosme and S. Damião and Nossa Senhora do Rosário and features photographic panels dedicated to these saints as patrons of various parishes.
