Sacred goldsmithing is a high-quality artistic production intended for the worship of the sacred, encompassing devotional objects such as medals, crowns, and others, serving a project of evangelization and communication between the faithful and the divine.
However, goldsmithing also represents the opulence, pomp, and ostentation when utilitarian objects are imbued with a magnificence they do not need to fulfill the function for which they were created. This exemplifies the notion that “for God, only the best,” while also highlighting the wealth of the Church and the community that supports and sustains this display.
Among the various pieces exhibited here, the following should be highlighted:
– **Monstrance or Ostensorium**
After the Feast of Corpus Christi was decreed in 1264, the need arose for a devotional piece that would allow the display of the Consecrated Host to the faithful, leading to the creation of this liturgical object.
The Monstrance of the Church of Massarelos is a 16th-century piece with stylistic characteristics of late Gothic, or Manueline, and the subsequent period, the Renaissance. These styles are blended in its main components: the base, the node, and the ostensorium, where the Blessed Sacrament is displayed, sometimes surrounded by rays of sunlight and protected by glass.
– **Crown**
Crowns are pieces associated with royalty, power, and leadership, conveying the idea of elevation, immortality, and humility.
Its circular shape signifies perfection and a connection between the earthly and the celestial. They are made of noble metals and precious stones.
The crown displayed here is a silver piece from the late 19th century, attributed to a Porto goldsmith and offered by a Benefactor of the Brotherhood to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception.
– **Chalice and Paten**
This piece is decorated with symbols of the Passion of Christ, which, through observation, reminds us of what this moment represents for Christians.
It is a gilded silver piece, marked by a Porto goldsmith from the early 19th century and referenced in the Brotherhood’s inventory of 1827.
– **Jewelry Pieces**
The Church possesses some jewelry pieces in Minas Novas, which entered its collection through donations, legacies, and promises fulfilled.
Among the most important pieces is a case containing a necklace with a pendant, showing the influence of fauna and flora, which is very present in this type of jewelry, as well as a pair of earrings, all set with gemstones and mounted in silver, very old, and bequeathed to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception by the will of D. Leonor da Lima Pacheco.
The gemstone choker displayed here was donated to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception by the same Benefactor’s will.