Dating from the 15th century and extensively restored after the 1755 earthquake, Monchique's church has an extraordinary, star-shaped Manueline porch decorated with twisted columns that resemble knotted rope. Inside you'll find a simple interior, with a barrel-vaulted timber ceiling, and a side chapel that contains beautiful 17th-century glazed tiles showing St Francis, sinners in hell and St Michael roughing up the devil. The basement houses a small museum of sacred art, with choir books, carved statues and a tabernacle.
Igreja Matriz
Monchique
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
16.42 MILES
The town museum holds a bit of everything: swords and pistols, landscapes and portraits, minerals and crystals, coins, Moorish pottery, miniature…
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13.63 MILES
This small but likeable museum has three rooms. Downstairs is an archaeological collection displaying everything from Stone Age axes to a 16th-century…
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19.86 MILES
The hamlet of Torre's school fell into disuse when there weren't enough children. There wasn't much work around, either, so three local women decided to…
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16.18 MILES
Young adventurers will especially love this science museum devoted to Portuguese seafaring in the 15th and 16th centuries. Its main exhibit covers the age…
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Museu do Mar e da Terra da Carrapateira
20.81 MILES
The Carrapateira Land & Sea Museum is a must for visitors – surfers or otherwise. Up a steep hill 200m east of the town square, its contemporary design…
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Museu de Cera dos Descobrimentos
15.72 MILES
Unlike typical celebrity-filled wax museums, this one has 22 historic wax figures representing 16 different points in time during Portugal's Age of…
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2.25 MILES
The 902m Fóia peak, 5.5km west of Monchique, is the Algarve’s highest. The road to the summit climbs through eucalyptus and pine trees and opens up views…
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17.97 MILES
One of the more remote west-coast beaches, this wide, magnificent stretch of sand has an ethereal beauty, backed by stratified cliffs hazy in the ocean…
Nearby Monchique attractions
2.25 MILES
The 902m Fóia peak, 5.5km west of Monchique, is the Algarve’s highest. The road to the summit climbs through eucalyptus and pine trees and opens up views…
2. Casa da Cultura Islâmica e Mediterrânica
10.74 MILES
Built with an art nouveau flourish in 1914, this wonderfully restored neo-Moorish cultural centre 600m west of the centre hosts occasional exhibitions,…
10.97 MILES
The exterior of the 16th-century Igreja da Misericórdia is plain apart from its distinctive, fanciful Manueline doorway hanging well above street level …
4. Centro de Interpretaçao do Património Islâmico
11.02 MILES
This interpretative centre promotes the network of Islamic routes through Portugal, Spain and Morocco, with a small but interesting exhibition on…
12.41 MILES
The town’s parish church stands on high ground to the north of the centre. A 15th-century Gothic portal and a gargoyle are all that remain of the original…
13.63 MILES
This small but likeable museum has three rooms. Downstairs is an archaeological collection displaying everything from Stone Age axes to a 16th-century…
13.66 MILES
Housed in a former chapel built in the 17th century (which was destroyed in the 1755 earthquake), this museum devoted to St Anthony displays paintings,…
8. Casa Museu Pintor José Cercas
13.68 MILES
This quaint house belonged to Portuguese painter José Cercas (1914–92) who left his home and belongings – a collection of furniture, artworks and personal…