Two designations resulting from two Marian invocations born in the Medieval Ages are given to this Chapel, built in the place of Quintã: Lady of Piety and/or Lady of Quintã. Both invocations, however, had the same mission: to defend the agricultural area of the now extinct “honra de Baltar” [territory], where the Chapel was integrated, as it is referred to in the Memórias Paroquiais [Parish Memorandum] of 1758.
In the chancel, the top corbels announce the Gothic and allow dating its construction between the 13th and 14th centuries. Inside, the careful gilding of the ashlars [stones] stands out, highlighting their good framing, including those that comprise the triumphal arch and denounced the intervention of the Modern Era.
In this Age, this small medieval Chapel would already have been expanded, by adding a nave. This expansion is easily visible on the exterior layout of ashlars, of a more vernacular [traditional] aspect than the one in the chevet (the primitive chapel), and reveals itself in the main portal with voussoirs [stones forming the arch] of an irregular profile.
The agricultural area that surrounds the Chapel recalls the protective importance of the invocation and spiritual reference of the small temple.
Location: Paredes
