Although the date of construction of this singular Romanesque church is unknown, the year 1172 appears as a likely approximation, since it is the only documentary reference of the town in that period. The temple is a characteristic monument of Romanesque style, whose head appears to be the oldest portion.

Inside there are two mural paintings that flank the pointed triumphal arch, one of which reveals two pictorial phases alluding to the same theme. Still in the ensemble, it is important to mention the presence of a Gothic archosolium, filled with a tomb decorated with inscriptions allusive to the tomb.

The Matriz de Sernancelhe is a monument still relatively badly studied, but whose relevance in the History of Art of Beira Alta is imposed, not only in the Romanesque period, whose originality is evident, but also in the Low Middle Ages, when it was established as a place of privileged grave for nobles of the region.