Matriz Church of Póvoa de Varzim 2.44

Matriz Church of Póvoa de Varzim, also Nossa Senhora da Conceição Parish Church is the Mother Roman Catholic church in Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal. The temple is located in Praça Velha square, in Bairro da Matriz quarter. The church is dedicated to the Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, Nossa Senhora da Conceição in Portuguese, the main patron saint of Póvoa de Varzim.Of Baroque architecture and of high artistic value, the temple was built in the 18th century siding the old Póvoa de Varzim town hall, a proof of the alliance of Póvoa de Varzim Town Hall with the Archdiocese of Braga, important for the territorial disputes that the town had with the House of Braganza.HistoryEarly templesThere was a chapel around Praça Velha square, known as Madre de Deus chapel, built before 1521 by the nobleman João Gomes Gaio, father of the knight João Martins Gaio, the later was related with the maritime trade of Vila do Conde. By being established in Póvoa civic center he could easily recruit men for seafaring activities. This noble family was responsible for the benefits Póvoa gained during this period.Madre de Deus Chapel gained a tabernacle in 1544, when the Ordinary Judge, the town's councilmen and people asked Braga archbishop, which established the Corpus Christi procession in Póvoa de Varzim, to where the clergymen of Beiriz, Amorim, Terroso and Estela were obliged to participate since 1591 and the ones from Laundos, Navais and Argivai, since 1625. The growing regional influence led Vila do Conde to protest in 1637. Regarding civil administration, all these parishes were integrated in Póvoa de Varzim only in the 19th century.