Ever wondered what it’s like to drink beer blessed by a priest?
Well, wonder no longer.
Father Edgar Clara has come up with a money making scheme to help restore an old building.
He serves as a parish priest at the Igreja do Castelo, in Lourinhã, Portugal, which is one of the oldest churches in Lisbon.
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He recently opened the church’s bell tower to tourists and while restoration works were underway, he realised another temple nearby needed some work.
Located right next to the São Jorge Castle is an old mosque where “the first mass was celebrated after the reconquest of Lisbon by the Crusaders”, according to reports.
And in order to help “recover, make known and exhibit the heritage of the building”, Father Edgar Clara decided to raise some funds.
He is launching an IPA called Santa Cruz and hopes to sell as many of his blessed beers as possible, as reported by What’s The Jam.
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The beer is seasoned with arbutus and cardamom, which adds a lot of personality, as well as a little more alcohol content.
Santa Cruz will be on sale from this month (August) in the Torre Sineira shop.
Father Edgar Clara has also financed other restorations in the past, including São Cristóvão, where he created a new lighting design to highlight its various altars.
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He said: “These types of projects are only possible because of tourism and they have to be completely transparent in financial terms, so that there is no doubt about how the money is used.”
He needs to raise around €2,000 to restore the mosque’s altars and the “valuable and beautiful panels”.
The goal is to make the treasure public, including the restoration work, which according to Father Edgar Clara will be able to be seen in person by those who visit.
If you want to help with the noble project, you can purchase Santa Cruz beers from the shop in the Church of Santa Cruz, or at the Crafty Corner beer bar in Lisbon.
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