Faro Cathedral ( pt, Sé de Faro) is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominatio ...

Faro, Portugal Faro ( , ) is a municipality, the southernmost city and capital of the district of the same name, in the Algarve region of southern Portugal. With an estimated population of 60,995 inhabitants in 2019 (with 39,733 inhabitants in the city proper, ...

. The cathedral was consecrated in the name of the

Blessed Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jews, Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Jose ...

in the late 13th century by the

Archbishop of Braga The Archdiocese of Braga ( la, Archidioecesis Bracarensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Portugal. It is known for its use of the Rite of Braga, a use of the liturgy distinct from the Roman R ...

. It has been the seat of the Diocese of Faro since 1540, replacing

Silves Cathedral The Silves Cathedral ( pt, Sé Catedral de Silves) is a former cathedral in the city of Silves, in the Algarve region of southern Portugal. A mosque, built during the Moorish rule of the Iberian Peninsula, was originally located in its current pl ...

on the orders of King John III of Portugal. In 1596 the church was destroyed by the

Earl of Essex Earl of Essex is a title in the Peerage of England which was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title has been recreated eight times from its original inception, beginning with a new first Earl upon each new cre ...

. The cathedral is a National Monument of Portugal.

History

The cathedral premises seems to have a long history of sacredness even though archaeological evidences have not been found. According to tradition, an early Paleo-Christian basilica was built here and it was later transformed into a mosque during the Arab Moorish rule. The mosque was finally converted into a Christian church after the Reconquesta of the city by D. Afonso III in 1249. A mother church was rebuilt here soon after. The origins of the present Cathedral are identified to the middle of the 13th century.

References

{{coord, 37, 00, 48, N, 7, 56, 05, W, region:PT_type:landmark_source:kolossus-frwiki, display=title Faro National monuments in Faro District Buildings and structures in Faro, Portugal Churches in Faro District Former mosques in Portugal