Tradition says that this was the seventh church to be founded in Portugal and that it is based on the church of Santa Maria, which was inside the walled circuit of the old Castle of Tarouca. The first documentary reference to the Church of São Pedro de Tarouca dates from 1163, although nothing remains of this primitive temple. The current main building was built between the mid-19th century. XIII and the beginning of the century. XIV of transition from Romanesque to Gothic, with Manueline and Baroque alterations.

Inside, there is a profusely carved Manueline tomb, from the 16th century, anepigraphic, without a resting statue and with remains of painting representing Christ, sitting on four lions, in which the 1st count of Tarouca, D. João de Meneses, will be buried.

One of the biggest differentials of this church is the presence of the triple cross or papal cross at the top of its facade, widely used in ecclesiastical heraldry, being placed in the hands of lieutenants and papal coats of arms. The three horizontal bars represent the three functions of the Pope, as Peter’s successor: priesthood, jurisdiction and magisterium.
It was classified as a Property of Public Interest in 1948.

Source:https://www.cm-tarouca.pt/pages/218