One of the visitors of our Algarve-Portal from Belgium recently sent us an enquiry to get married in the nice little church of Querença that he had in good memory from a former stay in the Algarve. Therefore I had made an appointment with the priest of Querença, Carlos Alberto Marques de Matos, to discuss with him the prerequisites for such a marriage of non-residents in Portugal. On that occasion I could visit for the first time the interior of the church that had already been built in the beginning of the XVI Century. Like many other buildings in the Algarve the nave was damaged by the earthquake of 1755, but the remarkable chorus and several other parts survived. Padre Carlos told me that he is not only responsible for the community of Nossa Senhora da Assunção in Querença, but also takes care of the churches in the neighbouring hamlets of Salir, Tôr, Benafim and Ameixal.
I also had a look at the little museum opposite the church (Pólo Museologico de Água), inaugurated in 2012. It is dedicated to the water as important natural resource. The area of the Serra de Caldeirão near Querença and neighbouring Tôr is rich in water with numerous springs and is very important to the water supply of Loulé and Quarteira. One of the most important samples is Fonte da Benémola, a natural reserve and headwater of the Ribeira da Menalva.