Cathedral of Faro

The cathedral stands on the highest point of Faro's old town and fortress hill near the port at a height of approx. 80 m.Under the rule of Dinis I (ruled 1279-1325), a new church was built on the fortress hill of Faro on the site of an early Christian church and an adjoining mosque, which has not been archaeologically proven. The tower is still preserved. In 1577 Bishop Jerónimo Osório von Silves achieved the relocation of the bishopric to Faro. 19 years later, the city was besieged and set on fire by the soldiers of the English general Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, which also affected the cathedral. This was largely rebuilt in the years that followed with the help of Spanish funds, because the Spanish ruler Philip II had also been king of Portugal in personal union since 1580. Further damage was probably caused by the great Lisbon earthquake (1755).