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Our Lady of the Rock Church (Nossa Senhora da Rocha)
(كنيسة سيدة الصخرة نوسا سينهورا دا روشا)

Title	Our Lady of the Rock Church (Nossa Senhora da Rocha)
Title Original	كنيسة سيدة الصخرة نوسا سينهورا دا روشا
Type	Other
Language	Undetermined
Digital	Yes
Manuscript	No
Library:	Museum With No Frontiers
Record ID	monument;ISL;pt;Mon01;14;ar
Library Location	Purches (Lagoa); Faro, Portugal
Notes	The Church of Our Lady of the Rock (Nossa Senhora da Rocha) is located on a cliff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The building was built according to a quadrangular plan, oriented towards the east, and its main prayer hall is surmounted by an octagonal dome. The rectangular nacelle contains three fully round arches supported by two columns. One of the capitals presents a stylized floral decoration whose design most likely dates back to the Late Antique period. The originality of the structure of the quadrangular temple, as well as the style of decoration of the capitals, brings this place of Christian worship closer to the Islamic period. At the end of the AH 10th / AD 16th century, due to its importance, the building was surrounded by a fortified wall equipped with a moat and a drawbridge. Repeated cliff collapses demolished the wall and put the temple’s survival in danger, and it is feared that it will disappear before its origins are determined. In the areas surrounding the church, there is the village of Burshis, whose name may come from the Arabic “burj,” which could indicate the presence of an Islamic headquarters of a military nature.
Sample Text	Cristina Garcia “Church of Our Lady of the Rock (Nossa Senhora da Rocha)” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;pt;Mon01;14;ar

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Museum With No Frontiers

Our Lady of the Rock Church (Nossa Senhora da Rocha)

(كنيسة سيدة الصخرة نوسا سينهورا دا روشا)

Type Other

Language Undetermined

Digital Yes

Manuscript No

Library Museum With No Frontiers

Record ID monument;ISL;pt;Mon01;14;ar

Library Location Purches (Lagoa); Faro, Portugal

Notes The Church of Our Lady of the Rock (Nossa Senhora da Rocha) is located on a cliff overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The building was built according to a quadrangular plan, oriented towards the east, and its main prayer hall is surmounted by an octagonal dome. The rectangular nacelle contains three fully round arches supported by two columns. One of the capitals presents a stylized floral decoration whose design most likely dates back to the Late Antique period. The originality of the structure of the quadrangular temple, as well as the style of decoration of the capitals, brings this place of Christian worship closer to the Islamic period. At the end of the AH 10th / AD 16th century, due to its importance, the building was surrounded by a fortified wall equipped with a moat and a drawbridge. Repeated cliff collapses demolished the wall and put the temple’s survival in danger, and it is feared that it will disappear before its origins are determined. In the areas surrounding the church, there is the village of Burshis, whose name may come from the Arabic “burj,” which could indicate the presence of an Islamic headquarters of a military nature.

Sample Text Cristina Garcia “Church of Our Lady of the Rock (Nossa Senhora da Rocha)” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;pt;Mon01;14;ar