Covilhã is a ghost town. The night is falling with all memories and last lights of glory. Surreal, empty streets without the echo of steps. Blind windows of abandoned buildings. You exhale and mist appears … along with ghosts. Do not get me wrong, this hidden, quiet life fascinates me. During the sentimental journey on empty streets, you begin to discover your existence.
You can find this town of wool and snow at the base of Serra da Estrela – the highest mountain range in Portugal. The earthquake (1755) destroyed fortifications from the 12th century. Due to the developing textile industry it used to be called the Portuguese Manchester. After the bankruptcy of factories, some buildings were taken over by the University of Beira Interior, but many are still abandoned.
Architecture
Little Covilhã shows perfectly my favourite features of the Portuguese architecture. Brightly coloured houses keep simple, geometric shapes regardless of the age. White colour reflects the strong sun more easily. Entire urban planning profits thanks to that practical solution – the town forms consistent unity. Surprising game of levels uses every available land slope. The functionality of buildings does not have strict rules, but is rational. A house has day zone on the last floor, connected with the street on the same level. Night zone on lower floors is hidden from the strong sun. Modern and historical architecture coexist next to each other on gentlemanly rules – elegant, without domination. The abandoned buildings stimulate the imagination and became an inspiration for street art artists. This gave rise to the WOOL – Urban Art Festival. Mural and graffiti referring to the place’s identity created an open-air art gallery, hidden among narrow streets.
Why sentimental journey started there?
I was living there for 9 months during my first Erasmus. All shown photographs were taken in this period. Pictured women – my friends – filled emptiness and from little Portuguese town made a metropolis of changes.
ARTISTIC RECAPTURE OF THE STAINED-GLASS WINDOWS ILLUMINATION
Early stained-glass windows and tinctorial techniques were used in ancient Egypt and Rome. However, only the construction and imagery of the gothic cathedrals allowed to use them in a more artistic way. First of all, straining arches enabled to create perforated volumes of temples and bigger openings. Secondly, the gothic style aimed at showing symbols of divine presence and greatness. And ‘God is light, […]’1. The light effects should impress believers. Moreover, stained-glass windows had an educational purpose. Images of religious scenes helped illiterate believers to become acquainted with the content of the Holy Bible, also known as Biblia Pauperum – ‘Paupers’ Bible’.
Colors
The taints are not random. White is a colour of innocence and purity, it pictures God. Red symbolises martyrdom but also love. Violet represents suffering and passion. Yellow, on the one hand, symbolises betrayal but at the same time power and glory. Blue is a colour of heaven, devotion and Marian cult. Green means revival and immortality. At first, colours were created by adding metal oxides into the molten glass. The material was supposed to represent precious stones (including their price). Nowadays stained-glass windows have special colouring, thanks to that mosaics are more colourful and accurate.
Light Creation
In my imagination, the moment in which the sun brightens the coloured glass creating a glittery mosaic of light was stunning. Every time, when I was visiting churches, I was waiting anxiously for this moment, when the sun would be in the right position, to see the expected illumination. Unfortunately, I have not been enlightened. However, it is not a surprise if we consider the usual position of churches. Mostly a presbytery2 is oriented east – in direction of Jerusalem. Because of that, stunning rosette and large format stained-glass windows placed on the front and back elevation are illuminated just during two brief moments of the day – sunset and sunrise. The biggest amount of light is entering through the windows on the side walls. Since I was not able to see that passing illumination, I tried to recreate the path of the light.
Annotations:
11 John 1:5b 2The main altar, space dedicated for priests and acolytes.
Travelling around Portugal I noticed that many doors have specific detail – hand-shaped door knockers. Firstly, I was thinking that they are just nice, old-fashioned way to welcome the quests. The visitors are able to shake hands even before seeing the host. But after some research, it transpired that this decoration has a deeper meaning and interesting history.
Hamsa
A form of the door knockers refers to Hamsa, known also as Fatima’s Hand. This palm-shaped amulet is present in many different religions, firstly in beliefs of ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt, then in Judaism and Islam. The word Khamsah in Arabic means “five” – number of the fingers in the hand. Hamsa protects against the evil eye, especially families and pregnant women. That is why the symbol appears commonly not only in jewellery, but also it was used as a home decoration. Moreover, it was a sign that showed the faith of the household. According to another theory, door knockers have male and female hands’ shape. Each of them makes a different sound. Islam considers it inappropriate for a woman to open the door to a man. Consequently, a way of rattling allows the host to recognize the gender of the guest, so the right person can welcome the visitor.
Why does this symbol appear in Portugal?
Hand-shaped door knockers are very popular in European countries, which were under Moorish occupation. Similarly, the presence of Judaism on the Iberian Peninsula is very significant. For instance, in Belmonte2 still exists the Jewish community that can be considered truly Portuguese and survived all turbulence of history.
One of my photos was chosen as a cover of the book written by historian Francisco Javier Martínez from the University of Évora in Portugal. The publication “Entangled peripheries. New contributions to the history of Portugal and Morocco.” is dedicated to the memory of Polish orientalist Prof. Eva-Maria von Kemnitz. This lucky coincidence makes me even more proud of my little part in this project.
Annotations:
1pt. mãos – hand 2Small town in Portugal, 75 km from Castelo Branco.
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