The church of São Pedro de Rates

A millenary artistic heritage site

Neto, Maria João

The Romanesque church of São Pedro de Rates has been deserving of attention from great national and foreign historians throughout the previous century, for its architectural peculiarities and decorative richness. In the 20th century, the monument underwent a daring restoration project and is, nowadays, a reference of considerable importance for the History of European Art.In broad terms, the present study deals with the enshrinement of the figure of S. Pedro de Rates as the first bishop of Braga; analyzes the great contributions of the historiography regarding the monument; the restoration carried out by the General-Directorate of the National Buildings and Monuments (DGEMN) during Estado Novo; and the current challenges, according to a modern policy of Integrated Management of Artistic Heritage.