Local guide
About this place
Commissioned by Bishop Francisco Gomes de Avelar and designed by Italian architect Francisco Xavier Fabri, the neoclassical arch was inaugurated in 1812 over a medieval entrance. Inside it survives an earlier Arab horseshoe gateway.
Make it count
What to see and do
Compare the formal exterior with the older passage inside
Look for the statue of Saint Thomas Aquinas
Walk through at dusk when the stone and square soften in the light
Context & curiosities
Worth knowing
The surviving Arab entrance is valued for remaining in its original position.
Fabri also worked on Faro’s Igreja da Misericórdia after the 1755 earthquake.
From Solar Mendonça
A local tip
Do not stop at the façade: pass through, turn back and examine both historic layers.
