The Algarve - Portugal - page 406

is believed to be a mariner's compass. Excavated in 1921, the paving may date from
Prince Henry's time - probably the only thing that does apart from the foundations.
The village's oldest buildings, which include a cistern tower to the east; a house and the
small, whitewashed, 16th-century Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Graça OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP ,
with its golden altar (of wood), to the west; and the remnants of a wall, are possibly re-
placements added after the 1755 earthquake.
Many of the gaps you will see between buildings are the result of a 1960s spring-clean
of 17th- and 18th-century ruins that was organised to make way for a reconstruction (later
aborted) that was to coincide with the 500th anniversary of Henry's death.
Smack in the centre is a modern, rather unsightly exhibition hall (closed at the time of
research). A small auditorium shows a short film (with English subtitles) on Sagres' role
in maritime navigation history every 40 minutes. Near the southern end of the promontory
is a lighthouse OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP . Death-defying anglers balance on the cliffs below
the walls, hoping to land bream or sea bass.
A wonderful boardwalk now follows the perimeter and bikes are permitted. Don't miss
the 'temporary' art installation installed at the far end of the peninsula - a labyrinth by
Portugal's famous sculpture-architect, Pancho Guedes.

Cabo de São Vicente
A trip to Cabo de São Vicente (Cape St Vincent), Europe's southwesternmost point, is a
must. At sunset you can almost hear the hissing as the sun hits the sea. This barren, thrust-
ing headland is the bleak last piece of home that nervous Portuguese sailors would have
seen as they launched into the unknown .
The cape - a revered place even in the time of the Phoenicians and known to the Ro-
mans as Promontorium Sacrum - takes its present name from a Spanish priest martyred
by the Romans. The old fortifications, trashed by Sir Francis Drake in 1587, were later
pulverised by the 1755 earthquake.
At the end of the cape there's a wind-whipped red lighthouse OFFLINE MAP GOOGLE MAP
(hundreds of ocean-going ships round this point every day) and a former convent. On-site,
and opened in 2010, is the small, but excellent, Museu dos Faróis (admission €1.50; 10am-5pm
Oct-Mar, to 6pm Tue-Sun Apr-Sep) . It showcases the importance of Sagres in Portugal's maritime
navigation history, along with replicas of 16th-century cartography and the history of the
Cape's lighthouse.

LANDMARK