Journey to Portugal by José Saramago

On the Ericeira road the traveller finally turned back, after reaching the northernmost point on the bend of the River Cheleiros, and headed south. The roads here are rather erratic: they spring up with the firm intention of serving all the tiniest villages in the region, but they never take the shortest route: they meander up and down hills, completely losing their head when they spot the Serra of Sintra in the distance. This wouldn't be a problem if the sierra had been the traveller's immediate goal: it is so obviously in front of him that any of them would do. But before that there is a hamlet called Janas, famed for the chapel of San Mamede which has a rare circular layout, and so the traveller made the necessary detour. He did not regret it.

From a distance, the hermitage looks more like a country dwelling than a place of worship. It has a long verandah where it is pleasant to linger a while, and behind the entrance (in this case, it is hardly appropriate to speak of a facade) the walls are supported by sturdy buttresses. The door is locked, but inquisitive travellers can take advantage of any of the windows, even if they are covered with a grille and wire netting. Inside, in the centre of the circle, four columns make a kind of sanctuary where an oil lamp is burning. The altar is up against a wall, which must make the celebration of Mass quite difficult. In the empty space are rows of benches, which look clearly out of place in this circular design. What does look right is the continuous stone bench around the walls of the church. It is true that it is interrupted on either side of the high altar, but its disposition suggests a ritual very different from the normal one.