The altar painting at Capela do Fôro, in Jardim da Serra, was recently restored with a total investment of 21,370 euros. The restoration sought to definitively solve the problems of humidity and infiltration that, over the years, had been deteriorating the work. The intervention took place mainly between June and August, with the entire wall where the painting is located being insulated and canvases being applied for greater durability.
According to the parish priest of São Tiago, Father Rui Silva, the current painting is not the original, but rather an interpretation dating from the early 1980s. The original composition was lost during the enlargement works of the temple, when Capela do Fôro became the parish headquarters, making it necessary to maximize space by building walls against the surrounding earth.
The funding for the project resulted from a joint effort. Private donations contributed 1,820 euros, the Junta de Freguesia do Jardim da Serra contributed 2,000 euros, Mass offering collections from August 15th and 16th yielded 2,836.77 euros, and the parish fund covered the remaining 14,713.23 euros. The parish priest revealed that he had been working on this solution for approximately three years.
The restoration also made it possible to integrate into the composition the cross donated to the chapel, recovering the original pictorial framing of the altar with the representation of curtains, architectural elements, clouds, and rays of light surrounding the Crucified and Our Lady of Consolation. This intervention is part of a broader set of works carried out over the 12 years that Father Rui Silva has led the parish, which include roof repairs, electrical restructuring, and the restoration of statues.
