Building of Public Interest -
The church was built over the ruins of an ancient roman temple having been a mosque during the Arabic period and converted into a cathedral after king D. Afonso’s III conquest.
It was raised to the status of Episcopal See in 1577 when it passed from Silves to Faro.
The English troops attack and the earthquakes that shook the town forced it into a series of modifications that dramatically altered its original design.
We now have a building whose exterior reflects those same alterations with a renaissance interior featuring baroque ornamentation.
The interior has three naves, with columns of the Tuscan order and round arches. It displays a chancel and seven chapels built under different periods.
Notable altarpieces feature inside the temple as well as a 18th century baroque pipe organ embellished with chinoiserie motifs.
In Cathedral’s vicinity, in Sé square stand two remarkable buildings stand, the Episcopal Palace and the Episcopal Seminary St. Joseph.
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Specifications
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Classification
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Building of Public Interest
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Commissioned by
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Bishops of the Algarve
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Design
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Friar Paio and Friar Pedro (probable), Manuel Martins (woodcarving); Arp Schnitger, organ maker; Francisco Correia, painter |
| Date of construction/reconstruction/other work |
13th, 16th, 18th, 20th and 21st century
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| Type |
Religious architecture with Gothic, plain and baroque features. Longitudinal plan with chancel, two collateral chapels, three naves, seven side chapels and a choir loft
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| Special features |
Façade preceded by a tower with porch and doorway with a pointed arch. Interior: the chancel with coffered dome. The chancel, the collateral chapels and the remaining ones in the naves feature woodcarving and tilework. In the central nave stands the baroque organ with three sets of pipes and four niches. Next to the cloister is the Chapel of Bones
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Adress:Largo da Sé8000-138 Faro37º0'47.76''N 7º56'5.62''W Phone. (+351) 289 823 018 - from a national fixed networkE-mail: catedraldefaro@gmail.com
Visits:Winter: Monday to Friday: 10 AM to 5 PM. Saturday from 9:30 AM to 1 PM. Summer: Monday to Friday: 10 AM to 6 PM.Saturday from 9:30 AM to 1 PM.Closes on Sundays
Church Hours:Monday to Friday: 8:45 AMSaturday: 6 PM (9 PM - July and August)Sunday: 12 AM