Description of the attraction
Lagos is a city with a rich history, so it is not surprising that it is filled with the most beautiful monuments that mark historical events in the life of the city. Among such historical monuments, it is worth noting the monastery of Nossa Senhora do Carmo, which is located near the Church of the Immaculate Conception. The building is located along Rua João Bonanza street, but the entrance to the monastery is on Largo Vasco Gracias street.
The monastery was built in the Baroque style. The construction of the monastery church began in 1463 at the initiative of Cristobal Dias. In those days, the monastery belonged to the Carmelite order and was the second order monastery in Portugal. Lagos was chosen for construction because at that time it was a developed settlement in the Algarve.
The 15th century, the period when the Carmelite monastery was built, was considered the golden age for the city. Due to its favorable location, the city was the largest port, as well as the center of trade in iron, gold, and silver. In 1755, the monastery was destroyed during the Lisbon earthquake. 22 nuns were killed and about 50 nuns were injured. The epicenter of the earthquake fell a little south of Lagos, almost all the villages and cities of the Algarve were destroyed. The flood that followed the earthquake also caused significant damage to the monastery building. The building was restored, and the work was carried out by Lourenzo de Santa Maria, Bishop of the Algarve. In 1833 the monastery was closed.
In the middle of the 19th century, part of the monastery was given to the municipality of Lagos. The monastery building was damaged again when the earthquake struck in 1969 and was restored again. The last restoration work was carried out in 2004. The facade of the church is quite simple, the roof is made in the form of a dome. Inside the church has one nave, few decorations, rather austere.
