The small Chapel of Sao Pedro de Balsemao, is situated in the civil parish of Sé, municipality of Lamego in the northern region of Portugal. It was a Visigothic sanctuary dating back to the 7th century, although it has Baroque elements, in particular, in the South Gate and the western facade, which adjoins a later residential building.
History
thumb|235px|left|The sarcophagus of D. [[Afonso Pires, former Bishop of Porto]]
The chapel encompasses a period of both Visigothic dominance (6th–7th century) and the expansion of the Kingdom of Asturias (9th–10th century) .
In the location of the chapel, or relatively close by, was a Roman villa, which can be dated from some terminus augustalis inscriptions from the period of Claudius on parts of the building which were later used as altars.
The construction of the chapel occurred in an undetermined point in the high Middle Ages. Defenders of the Visigothic chronology of events, point to an inscription dated from 588. Other arguments, enunciated by Lampérez y Romea, point to the triumphal arch and basilica-like plan that was adapted to favour its Visigothic origins.
In the 10th century, with the repopulation of the area, the church was renovated. The details of this are not fully understood, but there are indications that it amounted to general maintenance of the existing structure.
During the 13th century Inquirições, the area was identified in records establishing the existence of the parochial sanctuary. In addition to his sarcophagus, today located in the principal nave, there are few remnants of this changes, which (by 1643) Luís Pinto de Sousa Coutinho had integrated into his estate. The interior is divided into three sections supported by three arcs, supported by cylindrical columns, with polymorphic capitals. A triumphal arch divides the chapel from the main altar, while the roofs are supported by beam timbers.