A faith of the color of the rainbow

Founded in 2015 by Sofia Neves, driven by conviction, the Portuguese brand TREZE ARTIGOS RELIGIOSOS® presents a beautiful, serene collection of religious pieces, conceived and designed for the 21st century. Coincidence or not, it was in Fátima that TREZE ARTIGOS RELIGIOSOS® was born—a kind of spin‑off from the Marfilar factory, founded by Sofia’s parents in 1984. She grew up amid the production of religious figurines made from stone powder, always handcrafted, always handled with great emotion and dedication. Life led Sofia down other professional paths before she returned to her roots, excited by the idea of fulfilling a teenage dream: stepping into the world of entrepreneurship, giving new life to the images her parents made and brightening them with the colours of the rainbow. The idea was to rethink the factory’s product range, combining her parents’ know‑how with Sofia’s creativity, as she herself recalls: ‘I wanted to innovate in the market, give the company a younger image and create new concepts for pieces associated with religion. The traditional stone‑powder figures were reinvented in terms of design and personalisation, and we also diversified our range of items.’ And that’s how TREZE ARTIGOS RELIGIOSOS® was born—with religious pieces that are 100% Portuguese, 100% handmade and 100% contemporary: beyond the traditional crucifix, there are statues of Saint Anthony and Our Lady of Fátima, not forgetting the much sought‑after nativity scene. And just as Sofia dreamed, each piece can be made to the customer’s taste: simply indicate the desired colour at the time of purchase—yellow, blue, white, grey, lilac, pink or green. There’s something for every taste and every generation. Stepping out of the comfort zone that the weight of tradition can often entail brought other advantages too, as Sofia Neves reveals: ‘Transforming religious items into pieces with colour and design has revived age‑old values which, although they never disappeared, have gained new momentum. TREZE ARTIGOS RELIGIOSOS® pieces not only reinforce Christian values, but also promote the practice of prayer—sometimes even among those who aren’t religious!’ Alongside the online shop, TREZE ARTIGOS RELIGIOSOS® also has a blog where, under the hashtag #encouragingdays, it talks about a bit of everything—small, encouraging reminders for every day and every hour.