Igreja Santa Cruz

The Church of Santa Cruz is one of Portugal's most significant historical monuments. The goal was to create a "pocket guide" that allowed tourists and locals to explore the architecture, the Royal Tombs of the first Portuguese kings, and the religious life of the parish through a seamless mobile experience.

The Challenge Cultural heritage projects require a balance between modern technology and historical reverence:

Indoor Navigation: Helping visitors navigate a complex stone structure where GPS signals are often weak.

Multimedia Storytelling: Delivering high-quality audio guides and high-resolution images of delicate art and tiling (Azulejos).

Dynamic Liturgical Agenda: Managing a real-time schedule for masses, concerts, and religious events.

The Solution

• The Interactive Museum Guide (React Native)

• Using the Bondlayer engine, I developed a native app focused on discovery.

  Offline Multimedia: To solve the connectivity issues within the thick stone walls of the church, I engineered an offline-first system that pre-loaded high-quality audio guides and historical photos.

  Smart Discovery: Users could explore specific points of interest (POI) such as the tombs of D. Afonso Henriques and D. Sancho I, with deep-dive historical context provided via the app.

• Liturgical & Cultural Agenda

• I integrated a specialized calendar module that synchronized with the church's administration.

  Real-Time Updates: Whether it was a change in mass schedule or a special classical music concert, updates were pushed via our OTA (Over-The-Air) system instantly.

  Push Notifications: Used to alert users about upcoming events or significant religious holidays.

• High-Fidelity Design

• The UI was designed to be "invisible"—clean, elegant, and focused on the photography of the monument. Using React Native, we ensured that the animations and transitions between historical eras felt smooth and premium.