Lourinhã Parish Church, dedicated to St. Mary and also known as Igreja de Santa Maria do Castelo, is a Gothic monument from the second half of the 14th century. There were two separate phases in its building: the first phase has been attributed to Dom Jordan, Lourinhã’s first donee, whilst the second phase was commissioned by Dom Lourenço Vicente, Archbishop of Braga, born in Lourinhã and also the donee of the town.
The church’s ground plan consists of a central nave, two side aisles and a polygonal apse. The higher and wider nave is separated from the two side aisles by eight highly elegant pointed arches, supported on three-metre tall monolithic columns, surmounted by magnificent capitals embellished with plant motifs, all of them different.
Another feature to be admired in the church is the octagonal baptismal font, with two crosses in a circle and a five-pointed star carved into its sides. There is a rose-window to be seen above the main door and the bull’s eye window of the wall with its triumphal arch.