Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
You can leave the Cidade Velha through the medieval Arco de Repouso (Gate of Rest) -
apparently Afonso III, after taking Faro from the Moors, put his feet up and heard Mass
nearby. Around the gateway are some of the town walls' oldest sections - Afonso III's im-
provements on the Moorish defences.
Elsewhere in Faro
Igreja de Nossa Senhora do
Carmo & Capela dos Ossos
(Largo do Carmo; chapel admission €1; 10am-1pm & 2-6pm Mon-Fri, 10am-1pm Sat)
The twin-towered,
baroque Igreja de Nossa Senhora do Carmo was completed in 1719 under João V and paid
for (and gilded to death inside) with Brazilian gold. The facade was completed after the
1755 earthquake.
A more ghoulish attraction lies behind the church. The 19th-century Capela dos Ossos
was built from the bones and skulls of more than 1000 monks as a blackly reverent re-
minder of earthly impermanence, and the ultimate in recycling. You can enter the church
for free; entry to the chapel is €1.
CHURCH
CHURCH
Igreja de São Francisco
(Largo de São Francisco; Mass 6.30pm)
Features dazzling woodwork and a frenzied 18th-cen-
tury baroque interior with tiles depicting the life of St Francis.
Igreja de Misericórdia
( Mass 9am)
The 16th-century Igreja de Misericórdia, opposite the Arco da Vila, has a re-
markable Manueline portico, the only remnant of an earlier chapel to withstand the 1755
earthquake.
CHURCH
Igreja de São Pedro
CHURCH
( 10am-1pm & 3-5pm Mon-Sat)
At the southern end of Largo do Carmo is this 16th-century
church. The plain exterior hides an interesting interior of 18th-century
azulejos
and fine-
carved woodwork.
