The church of Our Lady of the Assumption in Atalaia was commissioned in 1528 by the Count of Cantanhede. João de Castilho drew up the design, and the decoration of the doorway and the triumphal arch is by João de Ruão, one of his first works in Portugal. It has been a national monument since 1926.
On the Camino
The Camino reaches Atalaia at km 10.9 of the Golegã – Tomar stage and enters the village right in front of the church.
What to see
The doorway is covered in ornaments and medallions with busts. Inside, the walls have yellow and blue 17th-century azulejos: above, nine panels with scenes from Genesis, from the creation to the ark on Mount Ararat; in the side aisles, seven with scenes from the New Testament. Cardinal Patriarch José Manuel da Câmara, who died in 1758, is buried here. It has been under restoration since 2021.