Faro

21 November 2007

The capital of Algarve Province, the city of Faro, is located 300 km south of Lisbon and 284 km south of Évora. The largest city of the province it is known for its preservation of traditional artisanship in clothing and gastronomy.

There are few physical traces of the civilizations that shaped it – a few Roman ruins to the north of the city and its name which comes from the Arab governor Ibn Faroun. Faro was the last city of today’s Portugal to be recaptured from the Moors – 1249. It was also the first to hand Napoléon’s troops a defeat.

Likewise there are few physical traces of the medieval period, the city having suffered extensive damage in the earthquake of 1755.

Its beach is far from the city so it does not have the feel of a tourist destination, although its airport is the one major airport of the province and thus a lot of tourists come through it. Nonetheless it has the feel of a small airport, with no visible signs of anti-terrorist security.

The beach is in fact part of the dune-like system built up by the interaction of the Ria Formosa and the Atlantic Ocean that have created a series of lagoons that separate the city from the ocean. The city is separated from its lagoons by the railway – looks a bit like White Rock, B.C.

The passenger services are not to the standards of the French railways or the Eurostar.

In 1594, during the period Portugal was under Spanish monarchs, the British Count of Essex in the war against Spain captured Faro and the city was sacked and burned in Juky 1596. The walled city was rebuilt but was hit by an earthquake in 1722 and by a devastating one in 1755.

Thus the physical record of today is largely port 1755. The city was rebuilt beginning in 1756, they year that it was designated capital of the Algarve.

The cathedral was built over ancient ruins. During the Moorish period a mosque was constructed on the site. Following the reconquest, a Christian church was built on the site – all that remained after the 1755 earthquake was this massive tower/entrance.

Today the tower provides a nesting site for storks. Indeed, where there are no natural nesting sites, artificial ones are constructed on the top of high poles, often in the middle of the countryside.

So this massive looking cathedral is really a product of the late 18^th century. With its three naves and numerous chapels, what it lacks in continuity it gains in isolated examples of beautiful artisanship.

Like a number of larger churches in Portugal, an

adjoining museum boasts a number of religious artefacts such as gowns, statues, and religious articles.

The surrounding square with its buildings and orange trees is a nice refuge.

A block away, a second pair of storks has established their own nest on another bell tower.

We leave old Faro with a last look at its walls.