Cape Espichel description and photos - Portugal: Costa de Caparica (Topic)

Cape Espichel description and photos - Portugal: Costa de Caparica. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The name in English is Cape Espichel.

Photo and description

Cape Espishel is located a few kilometers west of Sesimbra and is considered the extreme point of the Setubal Peninsula.

This cape attracts tourists because of the breathtaking spectacle that opens from the cliff when you look down to the Atlantic Ocean. Dangerous steep cliffs that fall into the sea, even in Roman times, were called Promontorium Barbaricum, which means “sheer cliffs of the barbarians”. There is also a lighthouse that warns of the reefs approaching ships and ships.

The cape is also known for the fact that there is a sanctuary on it - Sanctuary de Nosa Senhora do Cabo Espishel of the 18th century. The temple was built on the edge of a high cliff, and quite close to the edge. The church was built at the end of the 17th century in the Baroque style by the architect Joao Antunes. She became famous for her interior, namely: the ceiling covered with frescoes, as well as the throne and the statue of Our Lady. There is a local legend that says that the church was built on the site where the Virgin on a white mule rose from the ocean to the very top.

The church has been a place of pilgrimage for Christians from Europe since the Middle Ages, so houses for pilgrims were soon built. A few meters from the church is the Chapel of Memories, built in the 15th century. The chapel is very small, decorated with a dome, inside the walls are covered with blue and white tiles "azulezush", which depict scenes from the legend about the appearance of the Virgin Mary to two elders.

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Topic: Cape Espichel description and photos - Portugal: Costa de Caparica.