Faro Cathedral

Faro, Portugal, Portugal

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Faro Cathedral, known as Sé de Faro, in Faro, Portugal, was constructed starting in 1251 on the site of a former mosque after the Christian Reconquista of the Algarve region from Moorish rule in 1249, commissioned by Archbishop João Viegas. Blending Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and plain styles from centuries of expansions and rebuilds—especially after damages from 1596 English raids and the 1755 earthquake—it features a fortress-like exterior with a bell tower, a wide Tuscan-columned nave, ornate gilded woodwork, azulejo tiles, and a stunning 18th-century Baroque organ. Elevated to cathedral status in the 16th century, it remains a National Monument symbolizing the city's layered religious history.