Faro Cathedral () is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

Faro, Portugal Faro ( , ), officially the City of Faro (), is a Concelho, municipality, the southernmost city and capital of the district of Faro District, the same name, in the Algarve region of southern Portugal. With an estimated population of 67,566 inhabi ...

. The cathedral was consecrated in the name of the

Blessed Virgin Mary Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...

in the late 13th century by the

Archbishop of Braga The Archdiocese of Braga () 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 Rite and other Latin liturgical ...

. It has been the seat of the Diocese of Faro since 1540, replacing Silves Cathedral on the orders of King

John III of Portugal John III ( ; 6 June 1502 – 11 June 1557), nicknamed The Pious ( Portuguese: ''o Piedoso''), was the King of Portugal and the Algarve from 1521 until he died in 1557. He was the son of King Manuel I and Maria of Aragon, the third daughter of ...

. In 1596 the church was destroyed by the

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. 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 The term Moor is an exonym used in European languages to designate the Muslim populations of North Africa (the Maghreb) and the Iberian Peninsula (particularly al-Andalus) during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a single, distinct or self-defi ...

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