Faro is a gorgeous city in southern Portugal. Unfortunately, it is mainly known for having a large international airport. Similar to cities like Luton and Dover in England or even our Szczecin, Faro is a transit point for tourists visiting Portugal.
From Faro, it’s easy to reach the magnificent beaches of the Algarve and the incredible caves we’ve already written about in Our Trails. Furthermore, nearby are very touristy places like Albufeira and Vilamoura. Just another 10 kilometres and you’re in the town of Estoi, where you can visit the beautiful Palácio de Estoi palace.
So, tourists at Faro Airport, right after arrival, hop into rented cars or buses and head off for adventure. It turns out that many of them don’t even realize what they’re missing. Faro, although it doesn’t have beautiful sandy beaches, offers instead a wonderful atmosphere of old, traditional Portugal.
Walks around the city of Faro and its attractions
Faro seems to be built for people who enjoy walking. You can get everywhere on foot, which makes staying here easy and enjoyable. Narrow, picturesque streets adorned with flowers, smelling of oranges growing everywhere, and homemade cuisine are natural and every day here.
For enthusiasts of historical sites, there are old walls and a system of towers built by the Moors in the 9th century. There are museums, dozens of churches, and a beautiful baroque cathedral.
Today, however, I would like to focus on a place in Faro that has made the biggest impression on us.
The baroque church of Igreja Nossa Senhora da Carmo and gold from Brazil
The Igreja do Carmo is a quite spacious and gorgeous church dating back to the early 18th century, standing almost in the very centre of the city. The funds for its construction came from the Portuguese gold mines in their Brazilian colonies.
Legends say that the Portuguese committed terrible atrocities against Brazilian villagers, forced into slave labour in the mines. The scale of the crimes was supposedly so large that even greedy missionaries could not bear to witness it.
To somewhat ease their consciences, several lofty churches were built in Portugal, including this one in Faro. Additionally, to atone for their sins, the interiors of the churches were adorned with gilded statues of saints, altars, and other precious ornaments.
Similar costly gifts were sent to Rome, after which there was no more talk of atrocities and murders, and Pope Clement XI canonized many missionaries from Brazil as saints. There is also talk of the curse of the bloody gold, which may explain the numerous catastrophes that have haunted the city and its surroundings in the past.
Be that as it may, today I must admit that the interior of the Igreja do Carmo church looks fabulous. It drips with gold and splendour. However, it was not the church itself that turned out to be the most interesting of the monuments in Faro. It is a much smaller and more modest chapel, located at the back of the church, dripping with bloody gold.
Capela dos Ossos Chapel of Bones
The bone chapel in Faro came into existence more out of necessity than as a result of some deep spiritual plan.
In the 19th century, the church lands, though extensive, were not infinite. When the church, impressive rectories, and a large churchyard were built, there was not much space left for a cemetery. Although only the remains of monks, priests, and people associated with the parish were buried in the ground, over the decades, the graves quickly filled the space.
The delay could have been longer; something had to be done about it. A cunning priest came up with the idea to introduce a regulation stating that remains could only lie in the ground for 10 years before they had to be moved… well, he wasn’t sure where yet.
Excavations began. Within a few weeks, hundreds of skeletons were unearthed, with more waiting to be dug up. Bones were literally scattered everywhere. Skulls and pelvises piled up in the corners of the cemetery, and stacks of shin-bones, ribs, and other smaller bones quickly grew in front of the church entrance.
The instigator of this mess looked on in horror; even he hadn’t expected there to be so much. There wasn’t a place in the entire parish where all these skeletons could be hidden. At one point, one of the shovel-wielding men joked that you could build a house out of these skulls, and the idea struck the priest!
“A house, you say, my good man?!” He pondered for a moment, stroking his beard with a smile. “A house… hmm.”
He already had a house, a pretty nice one, thanks to the gold from Brazil keeping poverty at bay. Besides, who would want to live in a house made of human skulls? But a church or a chapel…
It didn’t take long for him to think it over and plan everything out.
“We will build a chapel behind the church. We’ll use the bones of the servants of God as building material, so that even in death their remains may serve the service of the Blessed Mother, whose statue will stand inside.”
And so began this strange construction. A chapel was built, its walls, ceilings, and even foundations filled with human bones. The walls and ceilings were adorned with skulls. Ribs and shin-bones were used for the doors and windows, while the rest of the smaller bones were cemented into the floor. You have to admit, it’s quite a macabre solution to overcrowding in the cemetery, but it worked.
Over a thousand human skeletons were used in the construction of the chapel. This extraordinary building material turned out to be unexpectedly durable. The chapel survived numerous earthquakes, invasions, and fires. Thanks to this, today we can stroll through the cloisters, observed by hundreds of empty eye sockets peeking out from the walls. It’s an incredible impression that stays with you for a long time.
Other attractions in Faro
Fortunately, the city of Faro also has other attractions to offer, much less macabre. There is the beautiful old town, Cidade Velha, still reminiscent of the times of the Moors. There are even older monuments dating back to the times when the Romans ruled the southern part of Europe.
As I mentioned earlier, the city is a perfect place for strolling. From the old town, it’s just a stone’s throw to the beautiful harbour full of yachts and boats. Right next to it is the very intriguing Maritime Museum, and a bit further away is the famous Cabo de Santa Maria lighthouse. It has helped sailors find their way home for centuries.
The city, like the entire Algarve coast, has often changed hands throughout its history. From the Romans to the Moors, the Spanish, and even the English. Thanks to this, we can admire a multitude of styles in architecture, art, and of course, cuisine.
I’ll tell you about the Portuguese cuisine around Faro another time, but I have to mention the fruits. The whole city is full of orange trees. By the end of September, bend under the weight of juicy and incredibly sweet fruits. While I was busy taking photos, Magda eagerly picked the ripest fruits from the trees. Believe me, I’ve never eaten more delicious oranges!
Interesting facts about Faro in Portugal
- Between Faro and the city of Tavira stretches the largest natural park in Europe, Ria Formosa, with a vast lagoon covering an area of 170 square kilometres. It’s a true paradise for birds. You can navigate through countless channels with a boat rented in Faro.
- The Cathedral of Faro, Se de Faro, is the first Christian church in Southern Europe built after the expulsion of the Moors. From the cathedral’s bell tower, which you can enter for 3 euros, you can enjoy an incredible view of Faro and the Atlantic Ocean.
- The name of the city comes from the Egyptian island of Pharos at the entrance to the ancient port of Alexandria. It was home to the famous lighthouse, considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
- In 1596, during the Anglo-Spanish War, the English Earl of Essex, Robert Devereux, plundered the southern coast of Portugal. Among other things, he seized a wealthy library belonging to one of the bishops of the Algarve. It was the ancient books from that library that initiated the establishment of the famous Bodleian Library in Oxford, which still exists today at the University of Oxford.
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